A Certainly Pissed Off Accelerator
by UglyFingers
Summary: Accelerator died and went to hell... or not! Slight F/SN reference/crossover
1. Prologue

A/N:

This takes place during episode 19 of Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2.

This is a work of fiction and any reference made here does not apply to real life people, places, or events. In no way do I claim the works that this story is based on to be mine. If they tell me to stop what I'm doing, then I will delete everything, apologize, and beg for mercy.

Story Start: Prologue

_Dark... Why is it so dark?_

_That's right..._

_I'm dying aren't I...?_

_So this is what death feels like..._

_I knew this would happen eventually but... I wish I could have tied up some loose ends before kicking the bucket..._

Accelerator's life flashed before his eyes, reminding him just how crappy his life had been. Ever since he discovered his esper abilities as a child, it seemed as if the whole world was after him. Many wanted to use him for experiments while others just deemed him too dangerous to allow to live. They came after him like vultures. Organizations, scientists, and hell, even armies came after him. It is needless to say that he destroyed them every time. With each successive victory, he gained a feeling of invincibility.

In Acedemy City, he was the strongest. Many scumbags came to him to test their strength, only to be brutally destroyed. Tired of this, he agreed to participate in an inhumane experiment that would let him evolve into a level six. There were seven level fives in Academy City and he was the strongest of them all. Evolving into a level six would establish his supremacy as the strongest. Upon achieving this, no one would dare to pick a fight with him anymore.

And _no one_ would dare trash his apartment while he was gone.

All that was shattered when he met a certain spiky-haired idiot with a troublesome right hand.

The idiot stopped the experiment and caused Accelerator's reputation as the strongest to drop faster than a girl falling from the sky.

It didn't help at all that he lost part of the frontal lobe of his brain shortly afterwards. He had to be connected to a network of ten thousand twin sisters to compensate for the loss.

Hearing this news, the vultures came for him again, wanting revenge.

However, just because he got a little weaker, does not mean that they got stronger.

He destroyed them time and time again, hoping that they get tired of losing money and people on him. But life is just not easy...

Just when he was getting comfortable living his life with a little girl that he picked up from the streets and a big breasted member of Anti-skill, trouble started up once again.

He was attacked by Hound Dogs under the orders of his old mentor Amata Kihara while buying bandages for the little girl under his custody.

It was here that he lost his life due to a certain kitten appearing in the wrong place at the wrong time...

_If I ever get reincarnated, the first thing I'll do is hunt down that damn cat... Damn thing flew out of nowhere and pissed on my head! What was its name again? Yes... I think I remember now... That girl in the nun outfit called it Sphynx... _

As his memories faded away, he was thrust back into the darkness. A sudden force pulled him forward and he found himself sitting on a small boat. There is no one to steer the boat and Accelerator noticed that it is just following the river's currents. It was dark but he can still see outlines of Torii gates all over the river. Looking around, he sees a similar boat in the distance. Unlike his boat, this boat is being steered by a girl in a kimono with long, black hair and red eyes. The passenger seemed to be struggling but countless hands held him down. The black haired girl ignored his cries and said,

"This grudge will ferry you to Hell."

_Poor guy... Hey, wait! Does this mean this boat is going to Hell too? I already know that I did not do anything remotely good while I was alive but... now that I'm actually getting there... Fuck it! If there is a God out there, then please give me a second chance!_

As if hearing his prayers, a strange, oval of light appeared before him. There seemed to be a voice calling out to him in a language that he can't understand. As he listened, the words seemed to be getting clearer and clearer. After another minute, he was finally able to process what the voice was saying.

"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe,

my divine,

beautiful,

wise,

and powerful familiar,

heed my call,

I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart...

Answer my guidance...

And appear!"

Accelerator thought about what he just heard.

Someone, somewhere is calling for a servant. However, the criteria seemed too specific to apply to him.

Divine? If he was divine, then the angels would weep.

Beautiful? His pale skin and white hair makes him look like a delinquent high on drugs.

Wise? He is certainly talented, but wise...?

And powerful... hmm... if only nerve cells can regenerate...

_Oh, fuck it! I'd rather choose this than a guaranteed ticket to Hell!_

Without another thought, he stepped into the light.


	2. Chapter 1: Is she tsundere?

A/N:

If you recognize who the black haired girl is on the prologue, then major props to you!

First things first.

Italics are thoughts.

Quotations indicate dialogue.

Onomatopoeia is in bold.

Story Start:

Chapter 1: "Is she tsundere?"

As he walked through the light, he felt himself being granted a new body.

His whole being was compressed into a zygote. The zygote then grew into a fetus, the fetus into a baby, and finally, the baby into a child. His growth didn't stop until he reached the same physique that he had when he died. His memories were preserved, keeping his abilities intact.

He emerged out of the light on the verge of unconsciousness. Voices drifted through the smoke that covered his vision.

"You never cease to amaze us with your failures, Louise the Zero. To think you would summon a commoner..." The voice came from a red haired woman with tanned skin and the largest breasts Accelerator has ever seen. Beside her is a short, blue haired girl holding a crooked staff. She seemed oblivious to her surroundings as she focused on the book in her hands.

"Not only did your summoning spell fail, but to summon a pervert of all things? You've sunk to a new low, Louise." A blonde haired boy said. He is wearing purple pants, a white shirt with a low neck and frills that exposed the upper part of his chest, and a cape. He gestured with the rose in his hand, trying to make his statement more dramatic.

Accelerator looked at himself, realizing his nakedness. While it makes sense that he is naked due to having died and getting resurrected, he wished he could at least gotten some clothes before being spit out into the unknown.

"This... is divine, beautiful, and powerful...?" Louise's face twitched. "Mr. Colbert, can I try summoning again?"

_Well, sorry for not being beautiful._

"I can't allow that. This ritual is a sacred one that decides a mage's entire life. Trying again is a blasphemy against the ritual itself! Commoner or not, this person has been chosen as your familiar. Now hurry up and complete the ritual or you really will be expelled."

"With... with this?" She pointed at the naked Accelerator with disgust.

"Miss Valliere?"

Louise sighed. This would surely be the talk of the school for weeks to come. Everyone expected her to fail, but to summon a naked commoner of all things?

Loiuse pointed her wand at Accelerator and recited,

"My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de la Valliere.

Pentagon that rules the five powers,

bless this individual and make him my familiar!"

She kneeled in front of him and grabbed his head. Slowly, she closed her eyes and kissed him on the lips.

"Hey what are you—?"

Accelerator's words died as his body temperature rose to a feverish level, his body steaming. Pain erupted on his left hand as white light inscribed the runes that would be his shackle for life. The pain did not stop there. He bent over and vomited blood as his internal organs ruptured, damaging his new body. A new force invaded him. Louise's mana flowed through his veins, destroying him from within.

"W—what did you just do to me...?"

Louise is panicking. This was clearly not meant to happen. The crowd laughed at Louise's failure, ignoring the fact that someone is dying right in front of them.

_Heartless bastards... I'll kill you... I'll kill you all!_

"Someone call a water mage quick!" Louise cried. Despite her failures, she never thought she'd actually kill someone with a failed spell.

"Someone help! He's dying!"

_Is this some sort of joke? Was I revived just to die again, unable to do anything?_

Accelerator fell into darkness once again just as the water mages arrived.

===Break===

_I see... so I died again huh..._

Accelerator sat up, finding himself on the same boat that he was in after his first death. The only difference is that he has a long, thick chain attached to his chest. The chain extends from his chest into the skies, its other end beyond the unknown.

Looking around, he found the same young, dark-haired girl ferrying another person to Hell. The poor fellow seemed to be offering to sell the girl some kimonos. His crazed eyes made him oblivious to his situation. The girl ignored him and said,

"This hatred will ferry you to hell."

"Looks like you're a lucky one eh?" Realizing he's not alone in the boat anymore, Accelerator looked at the intruder. An old man is sitting across from him. He is wearing old Japanese clothes, the kind you see in historical films. Covering his bald head is a hat.

"Who are you, old man?"

"Now, now, didn't they teach you to introduce yourself first before asking for another person's name?"

"Tch... I am called Accelerator..."

"Accelerator huh... You can call me Wanyuudo."

"And...? Just how am I lucky?"

"Well, you evaded Hell once and if that's not enough, looks like you get to cheat the Big Boss of Hell this time as well."

"You mean I can be revived again?"

"Well, it's not like you died. You see that chain attached to your chest? It means your body is still alive somewhere out there. You being here just means that you are very, very close to death."

"So how do I get back?"

"Once your body is recovered enough, that chain will just pull you on its own."

"I see... So that's how it is..."

Accelerator thought for a minute, trying to process the information he received.

"So I just have to wait until my body heals, correct?"

"Yes. And you also don't have to worry about going to Hell at the moment as you are technically still alive."

"Wait, why are you telling me this? What do you gain from helping me?"

"Nothing. Our ojou just happened to be interested in you is all." The old man pointed at the girl ferrying the other boat. She looked at them for a brief moment then continued her job.

"Ojou—?" Accelerator was interrupted as the chain attached to his chest pulled him upwards, lifting him off the boat.

"Looks like it's time for you to go back. Have fun and I hope never to see you again."

"Wait! I still have questions—!"

The old man just smiled and waved at him.

Accelerator lost consciousness as he enters the world of the living once again.

===Break===

Louise sat on the edge of her bed, terrified.

When her classmates realized that her familiar is in a very serious condition, they stopped laughing and rushed to get water mages to help him. Calling his condition severe is an understatement. After coughing up blood, he fell unconscious. Lacerations appeared on his skin and blood gushed out of them so violently that they dyed the green grass a crimson color. The metallic smell of blood lingered in the air.

Louise could only look in horror as the water mages tried to heal her familiar. She knew that failing her spells could result in small disasters such as explosions but she never imagined it could turn out like this.

The water mages arrived, put him on a makeshift stretcher and carried him into her room. Once they got him set on the bed, they started to heal his injuries, but the effort was futile. Every time they heal an organ, another one ruptures, causing another stream of blood to gush out. It seems like her familiar will die from blood loss very soon.

It was not until a few hours later that they were able to patch him up completely. However, they know that he will bleed once again any minute.

That's when the miracle occurred.

Accelerator opened his eyes, gasping for air. Realizing that his brain has been fully restored, he quickly checked his condition. Louise's mana raged through his veins, attempting to destroy him once again.

_Like hell, I'll let you!_

Accelerator closed his eyes, feeling the vectors of the power surging in his blood. He quickly redirected the flow, pooling all of the mana out of his body through his mouth and into the palm of his hand. The flow did not stop. Realizing that someone is fueling him with the strange substance, he followed its source. Sure enough, he could feel the flow coming out of his summoner into his body. His summoner looked distraught. He could tell that she feels guilty for putting him through such pain.

Accelerator did another mental calculation and erected his usual reflective barrier. However, the barrier seemed useless against the torrent of mana that his summoner is feeding him. He also seemed unable to redirect the flow away from him. The best he could do is pour it out of his body as soon as it enters him.

_What a pain._

Soon enough, the spontaneous injuries stopped and the water mages healed up the last bits of his wounds. With their willpower exhausted, they left the room, no doubt heading to bed.

Louise stared at her familiar with a teary eye.

"Oi. Care to tell me what's going on here?"

The girl jumped in her seat and started crying.

"I'm sorry... please forgive me... sorry... I'll never cast another spell again so please forgive me..."

"How the hell am I supposed to talk to you when you're like that? I'm alive now so stop crying and answer my questions."

The girl continued to cry muttering "I'm sorry, I'll never do it again."

Accelerator waited for a few minutes until her cries died down. She wiped her eyes and sat up, trying to redeem her loss of dignity in front of her familiar.

"So... you ready to answer me now?"

"I—it's not like I was worried about you or anything!" She turned away, attempting to hide her face.

Accelerator sighed.

_Is she tsundere? Just how the hell am I supposed to deal with this?And why is it that midgets always cluster around me. First it was the Misaka Misaka midget, then the nun midget, and now a tsundere midget?_

It wasn't until half an hour later that Accelerator finally managed to get some answers from the girl.

Apparently, he is in a country known as Halkeginia. His summoner... er... master is a failure of a mage that can only cause explosions no matter what spell she uses. She told him about how mages are considered nobles while non mages are considered peasants. Having experienced resurrection first hand, Accelerator did not doubt her words. After all, if espers and Hell exist, then heck, why not magic? Summoning familiars is a part of the school curriculum for mages and his master wanted to summon something that would be majestic enough to shut the mouths of her classmates who are always making fun of her.

"I can just kill them for you if you want. I guess I do owe you one for pulling me out of Hell." Accelerator offered.

"W—what? No! I didn't mean...!" Accelerator put on a serious face, enjoying her flustered look.

"So? What are you gonna do about that then? Are you content on being called the Zero for the rest of your life?"

"B—but what else can I do? I've always been called Louise the Zero for as long as I can remember. Every time I cast a spell, it always end up in failure... this time as well... I could have killed you, you know! And it's not like I can get by with just looks either... I don't even have big breasts like Kirche, so what else do I have...?" Her voice dwindled along with her self-confidence.

"Well, you _are_ ugly." Accelerator teased.

"W—what did you say? Y—you dare insult a noble? I was stupid to worry about a commoner..."

She kept muttering as she turned away. She seemed to have gotten over her depression in an instant. Her short temper easily over riding her previous mood. She opened her wardrobe and took off her clothes, throwing them over her shoulder at Accelerator. "Wash these."

"Oi, oi. Are you trying to seduce me? Just so you know, I'm not interested in such a childish body..."

"The familiar dares to speak to its master in such insolence? I am Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, a noble, and I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a way! That's it, no food for a week!"

She took of the rest of her clothes and threw them at him. As her panties was about to land on his head, it changed direction and flew back at her. She turned back to look at him, outraged.

"If that's all you have to say then I'm leaving. I got a kid waiting for me back home." Even though he said that, he still has no clue on how to get back to Academy City. But whatever. If this girl thinks he will stick around with her for the rest of his life, then she couldn't be more wrong. He'll just find a way to return to Academy City one way or another. Even if he owes her a favor, he just does not have the luxury to stick around.

There are people that need to be killed.

There are little girls to be protected.

And there is a cat that needs to needs a thorough roasting.

He could feel her anger through the flow of mana the she's still feeding him. He ignored it and walked around the castle, memorizing the layout of the place. As he rounded a corner, he heard a voice he recognized. It came from one of the people that laughed at his master during the summoning ritual. The blonde boy is posing in an extravagant manner, holding his rose next to his face. He is talking to a brunette about soufflés. His dialogue seemed somewhat to be too scripted, lowering Accelerator's opinion of him even more.

"... Of course, Ketty. I wouldn't lie to your eyes."

"Lord Guiche..." The girl's eyes sparkled, completely hooked.

"There is nothing hidden behind my feelings for you."

"Tch. Stupid girl..."

The two turned to Accelerator in surprise. It appears like they were too engrossed in each other to notice him passing by.

Guiche's eyes narrowed.

"Hey, aren't you that peasant that Louise summoned? How dare you, a peasant, insult a noble like that?"

"Lord Guiche... it's fine..."

Even though she said that, it appears as though Guiche want to prove his manliness in front of the woman.

_Looks like she's not the only idiot here..._

Accelerator's lips curved in a sadistic smile. So much has happened today and he needed to blow off some steam.

"Peasant? Noble? Cut the crap! It doesn't matter what you are... you'll end up in the same place as me when you die anyway... come to think of it, why don't I send you there first?"

He took a step towards them. Guiche moved in front of the girl, hiding him from Accelerator's view. He pointed his rose at Accelerator, failing to sense the danger he's in. He took a step forward with his left, as if to intimidate his opponent.

**Crack!**

"Aaargh!" Guiche stumbled and fell on his right knee, his left femur fractured.

"Lord Guiche? What happened?" The girl sounded scared. She looked at Accelerator, then back at Guiche.

"W—what did you just do...?"

"Ohhh? You surprised a _peasant_ can take beat a noble without lifting a finger?"

"Don't tell me... you're a...?"

"A mage? Hah! Ohh... this is just too good..." Accelerator's smile widened and he laughed, giving him a maniacal and sadistic look. The girl behind Guiche cowered, her eyes wide with fear. Accelerator leaned down on Guiche and lightly tapped the hand holding the rose.

**Crack. Crack... Crack Crack!**

"!" The bones in his hand broke, the fragments penetrating through his skin. Blood flowed from the injured hand, spilling onto the stone floor. The brunette fainted and Guiche moved backwards, trying to put as much distance between him and the white-haired monster.

"Oh, and you don't have to worry. I made sure this room is sound proof. Wouldn't want anyone to interrupt our fun now, right?"

"Please... spare me..."

**Crack Crack Crack Crack!**

Guiche let out another scream as his other hand shattered, tears streaming down his face.

"You really think I should?" Accelerator turned around. "What do you think _master_?"

Behind him stood Louise in her nightgown, her mouth open and her eyes wide. She pursued her familiar in hopes of punishing him for walking out on her when she witnessed him breaking Guiche. Never in her wildest imagination did she think her familiar would be capable of such cruelty. How is she supposed to handle such a beast?

"L—let him go! I didn't want this..."

"Tch... this is why they keep taking advantage of you. I can't believe I was summoned by someone as soft as you." Accelerator turned back to Guiche. "Oi, brat. You will never speak about this to anyone else. And if I ever catch you disrespecting my master again, I won't stop with just a few broken bones."

"I—I promise. Please... just let me live!"

"Now that that's settled..." Accelerator turned in another direction and called out, "I know you're there so come out here where I can see you."

"eeek!" The voice squealed. Accelerator looked at the eavesdropper with satisfaction. She probably witnessed the entire scene while taking a walk but was too scared to make her appearane. "Good timing. Now clean up this mess." He pointed at Guiche, then at the blood on the floor.

"R—right away sir!" The maid exclaimed and rushed to follow her orders, taking a moment to look at Accelerator in awe. She has short, black hair and breasts comparable in size to the red head who made fun of Louise during the summoning ritual. She bent over, carefully wrapping Guiche's hand in towels.

"What's your name?"

"Siesta."

"Good. After you two are done, come to my master's room. We have things to talk about. And keep that girl out of this. She'll be useless anyway." Accelerator pointed at the unconscious brunette.

"Y—yes sir!" Guiche looked uncomfortable, but he knows better than to disobey Accelerator. It is clear who has the authority in the small group. Siesta supported the bandaged Guiche and accompanied him to the medical ward.

"What are you gonna do to them?" Louise asked, horrified. She is still shaken by the brutality of her familiar.

"Oh, nothing much..."

The sadistic smile on her familiar's face gave Louise an ominous feeling as she followed him back to her room.

===Break===

A/N:

I want to thank everyone who took the time out of their busy schedule to read this crappy piece of writing that I call a story. I also want to thank all the people that left comments and suggestions. It really helped motivate me to write this. I just hope I can get better in my writing so that I can deliver better quality in the future. I welcome criticisms as I believe they are the key to help me grow as a writer so bombard me as much as you want.

Once again I thank everyone for reading this and I wish you all the best in life.

P.S. If anyone is interested in beta-reading for me, please PM. I really need all the help I can get.


	3. Yet you're sick of yourself, aren't you?

A/N:

First of all, I would like to apologize if it seemed like Accelerator's character have been watered down as a lot of you have pointed out. I'm not really good at projecting characters in my writing so I guess that's one thing I need to work on. I had to calm him down a bit so I could actually make him do things. Once again, I am sorry if the characters seem off. I'll try to keep them in line as much as I can so please feel free to say if I somehow made a mistake. It really helps me a lot when people point out my mistakes. As for the lack of swearing... I'd appreciate help on that front if possible since I'm not used to saying obscenities, myself. Accelerator is like the complete opposite of me so it takes a while for me to get a grip on his speech patterns.

Another thing is my writing speed. If there is no update within a few days, assume that either real life is keeping me from writing or I just have no ideas to write. It will slow down quite a bit two weeks from now also since I'll have an internship coming up.

I once again thank everyone for reading.

Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Story Start:

Chapter 2: "Yet you're sick of yourself, aren't you?"

Louise looked at her familiar. At first glance, no one would be able to tell just how strong he is.

He is thin, pale, and has moppy white hair and red eyes.

She had planned to summon something powerful... something like a dragon. A familiar is a mage's lifelong companion, serving as their sword and shield. If you're going to summon a familiar, then might as well summon the best available right?

She now has no doubt about her familiar's strength. After all, how many people out there are strong enough to break all the bones in the human hand with just a light tap? And even worse, he was up against a noble and the noble wasn't even able to do anything!

However, she is now starting to regret having summoned him. How is she supposed to control such a monster?

Guiche is kneeling on the floor of her room along with Siesta. Guiche is looking down, trying to avoid meeting the eyes of the person who was just about to kill him a few hours ago. Siesta on the other hand, is staring at Accelerator with a mixture of admiration and fear. So far, admiration seems to be winning. Her eyes are practically sparkling.

Accelerator is sitting cross-legged on Louise's bed with his arms folded and is looking down at them, his expression not giving away his thoughts. Louise is sitting beside him with her wand in her hand. She was confused at first when he told her to take it out as they entered her room, unable to discern his intentions.

Louise steeled herself, regaining her composure. No matter how crazy her familiar is, he is still her familiar and she would not give up on him just because he seems to be a little off in the head. Her mother had taught her that in times like this, a Valliere must stand firm and calmly analyze the situation to come up with the best solution.

Easier said than done.

"Nobles... tch, what a bunch of bullshit." Accelerator muttered causing Guiche to jump.

"Familiar... why have you made them come here?" Louise asked cautiously.

"Huuuh? Is your head just there for decoration or somethin'? Don't tell me you still haven't figured it out?"

"I—I haven't so tell me familiar!" Louise tried to sound commanding but ended up stuttering instead. Accelerator looked at her and smiled his maniacal smile.

"What a stupid brat... You told me that your classmates call you 'the Zero' right? It really pisses me off how small fries like this one—" He pointed at Guiche "—can be considered a noble given how weak he is... If you don't want to be treated like a weakling for the rest of your life, then stop being chicken and seize power that will let you kill everyone in your way. Now is your chance. Prove to this piece of trash that you are not a failure. Show him that your magic isn't as pathetic as he is."

"Do you want me to die?" Guiche exclaimed, looking a Louise's wand. He knows Louise's ability very well. All of her attempted spells always result in violent explosions. Just the thought of being the target of her wand can scare one out of his wits and Guiche is not an exception.

"Yes," Accelerator replied coldly. Guiche scurried to the door, hoping to escape from certain death.

Accelerator is on him in an instant, pinning him face down on the floor with his foot. He grabbed him by the collar and with a kick to both of his legs, broke all the bones from his feet to his hips. Guiche's scream resounded inside the small, soundproofed room. Louise and Siesta cringed. The sound of breaking bones is just something they can't get used to.

"Oi, oi. I didn't say you could leave. The fun is just about to start... " He dragged the bleeding Guiche back in front of Louise and pointed at her wand.

Louise hesitated, unsure of what to do. She knows that there is no telling what will happen to her if she disobeys his orders, yet she does not have it in her to commit murder. Guiche may have been an annoyance to her but killing him is just over the top!

"Oi, I don't have all night here brat. If you don't wanna do it, then I'll just kill him myself."

"No! I—I'll do it..."

She has a choice to either she take the matter into her own hands and take a chance to save the life in front of her or abandon him in the hands of her familiar, a path to certain death. She certainly has no reason to save him, but as a Valliere, her sense of justice is higher than others'.

Louise pointed her wand at Guiche, her hands trembling. Guiche's eyes widened in fear. He tried to scream but only a soft moan escaped his throat. Siesta gripped her skirt and watched the scene intensely. She is shocked by the violence but in front of her eyes is a scene that all of the commoners in Halkeginia have dreamed of but never thought possible.

A commoner is man handling a noble.

It is not the commoner who's begging for mercy from the noble, but the other way around.

Every commoner has dreamed of this but never had the strength to realize this dream.

And now, Siesta is witnessing something that only happens in fairy tales.

Louise steadied her hands and began to chant.

_I can do this... Use the minimum amount of magic to cast the spell..._

Louise finished her incantation and cast her spell.

"Flare!"

**Bang!**

The explosion hit Guiche in the stomach, burning his shirt and skin. Louise's jaw dropped.

_It worked! _

"I... I did it..."

Although the result is not a good as she anticipated, Louise succeeded in controlling the magnitude of her spell. Her self-confidence increased due of finally achieving positive results. The explosion wasn't as small as she intended but this is the first time that she didn't blow up a classroom...

Accelerator tossed Guiche to Siesta and headed for the door, his face twisted in disapproval.

"Tch... that softness will kill you someday." He scolded.

Louise ignored his remark and looked at Guiche, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. Guiche clutched his stomach where the explosion hit him, feeling the spot where most of his skin have burned off. He looked shocked to see that he is still alive after taking a direct hit from Louise.

Siesta looked a bit disappointed but relieved at the same time. She is contented enough with seeing a noble being humiliated. Witnessing a murder in the middle of the night would surely give her nightmares for the rest of her life.

After being able to experiment with her spell for the first time, Louise felt as if she could do anything. The horizon seemed to open up to her as she started to believe in herself.

Accelerator left the room, satisfied. His scowl never left his face as he hid his thoughts.

Mission accomplished.

_And with this, that is one debt settled. Tch... I've gotten soft._

===Break===

Accelerator sat at the highest point of the school, looking at the two moons that lit the night sky.

He left his master, the maid, and the injured blonde to their own devices. There is no doubt that the two nobles would keep their mouths shut about his abuse. Louise is too proud to admit not having control over her familiar and Guiche would not be able to bear the shame if anyone was to find out that he was easily beaten by a commoner. Siesta on the other hand, is another matter. She can spread rumors around the school but in the end, no one would believe her as the story is to ridiculous to be taken seriously.

He thought back to the conversation with Yomikawa. She had lectured him over the phone as they searched for Last Order a few days ago.

"_Hey, Accelerator."_

"_What?"_

"_Is showing goodwill towards others really that scary?"_

"_The hell?"_

"_You seem to have accepted Last Order's goodwill, yet you're afraid to reciprocate her. Are you afraid of screwing up and being unable to fix it?"_

"_Are you lecturing me?"_

"_Well, I suppose I can't really understand your darkness. Especially because of the place you were in long ago."_

"_The special ability institute? I was kept there until I was nine. It was a facility used for disposing live people. You've probably at least heard rumors."_

"_My unit was responsible for dismantling it."_

"_Oh, boy. Thanks."_

"_I've seen them, lying around on the other side of a heavy door..."_

"_I was nothing but a monster, even in that institute. I'm sure you've heard from Yoshikawa... about what I did in those experiments. There's no way I can show goodwill to anyone."_

"_Yet you're sick of yourself, aren't you? This is a rule I made for myself. I will never point a weapon at a child, even if they're an esper. Do you know why?"_

"_..."_

"_That's exactly it. It's probably nothing compared to what you have to face, but the fact that we're heavily indebted to others is the same. So no matter how painful it is, there's no choice but to pay back as much as possible. And unlike me, you have strength. There are many doors that are open to you."_

_What if I used my strength to stop the experiment? What if I helped those sisters who walked to their deaths? What if it's not too late? What if..._

"_Retarded."_

"_That feeling you have will eventually pay back your debt."_

"_Hmpf. Bullshit."_

Accelerator knew what Yomikawa is trying to tell him and he knows that she's right. However, showing goodwill to others just seems impossible to him at the time.

_Damn you, Yomikawa. Look what you did to me. I should have just killed that bastard and ended it there. _

His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed someone watching him. He could see something hovering in the distance, but the figure is too far away to notice any details. Directing the vectors of light shining from the moon, he bent light in such a way to magnify the figure in the distance, creating a telescope.

A blue haired girl is riding a dragon and watching him. Accelerator stared at her for one full minute then laid back down. He remembered that she is the only other person besides Louise who didn't laugh at him as he lay on the ground dying. Unlike the other nobles, she smelled a bit like him. He could tell that she has her own darkness hidden under her cool demeanor.

Another person comes to mind now that he thought about it. The bald teacher, Mr. Colbert smelled of blood. Accelerator wondered why on earth they would employ a killer like him as a teacher. He seems to really care about his students but that could just be a facade to hide his true identity.

_Well, whatever. It's none of my business._

The blue haired girl stared at Accelerator for a bit longer, wondering if it was her that he was staring so intensely at a few minutes ago. Dismissing the idea, she went back to the school, leaving Accelerator alone once again.

===Break===

Accelerator sat up. The familiar feeling of wooden planks beneath him told him of his location. The same chain connected his chest into the unknown.

_What the hell happened? Did I die again? No... that's impossible!_

Looking around, he saw the same black haired girl ferrying another soul to hell. This time the victim is a teen age girl. She is asking why is it that she is the one being sent to hell when she is the one who pulled the red string on the straw doll. In response, the black haired girl created what seemed like a movie screen into the air, showing another girl holding a straw doll. The girl on the boat started to complain but skeletal hands clamped her mouth shut, her eyes wide with terror. The black haired girl ignores her and said,

"This revenge will ferry you to hell."

Accelerator looked around him and noticed that this time, there are other boats floating on the dark river besides his own. Some of the passengers have dead looking eyes that stared ahead with solemn acceptance. Others are crying while some seemed unable to accept their predicament and spewed curses at the heavens. Among them all, only Accelerator has a chain attached to the chest.

Accelerator touch his chain and pulled. The chain pulled him slightly upwards and he felt his body in the realm of the living twitch.

_Is this some sort of punishment? Am I not even allowed to have dreams anymore?_

Before, life for him was a living hell and only in his sleep was he able to find peace. But now, it is the other way around. The Sanzen river awaits him in his dreams while his waking moments are spent in a foreign world.

"What a crazy brat... to think he still has that kind of power, though he doesn't seem to realize it.. .but seriously, what the fuck is with those black wings?"

Accelerator froze, recognizing the voice. Among the many that are heading down to hell, the voice of the person that he hated the most at the moment of his death resounded louder than the others. On a boat about forty meters from him sat his old mentor, Kihara Amata.

_The hell? Did someone already kill him? I wanted to do it but... oh fuck it... one less bastard to worry about when I get back... and at least this means the brat is safe now right?_

Accelerator wondered who could have possibly killed Kihara. He mentioned something about black wings but Accelerator does not know of anyone with that ability. It doesn't matter however, as Kihara dying means that someone must have rescued Last Order in his place.

With these thoughts in mind, he was once again pulled back into the world of the living.

===Break===

"And just why the fuck are you following me?" Accelerator asked in an irritated voice, turning to his stalker.

Siesta cringed and kept her distance. She started following him from the moment he entered the school that morning. Spending the night on the rooftop wasn't that bad. At least it's more peaceful than Yomikawa's place or his apartment. He could tolerate Last Order's tireless blabbering during the day but her hyperactive nature doesn't stop even at night. It has been a while since the last time he slept alone. Thinking back on it now, he prefers the peace that loneliness provides. Sleep is the only sanctuary he has in between every day's battles. But now, even sleep has a disturbing side to it. Finding yourself in the Sanzen river every time you sleep is scary at best. It really gives the saying "Living on the edge" a whole new meaning.

Siesta pointed at the bread in his hand and offered him a sandwich. The maid caught him sneaking into the kitchen to steal some food but was hesitant to say anything. She decided to make him a proper meal after he left, abandoning her duties.

"Tch … it's better if you don't associate yourself with someone like me. A person who walked under the light throughout their life won't survive long in the darkness. Fuck off while you can."

It is very clear that she does not understand what he meant. She had been living a rather simple life. She worked, got paid, and spent her days reading dirty books while dreaming of being swept off her feet by a prince who will take care of her and make her into royalty. Understanding complicated concepts is not exactly within her ability.

Accelerator left her there and went to the library, trying to find a clue on how to travel between worlds. If this is the world of magic, then surely they must have a spell that could do such a thing right?

He was surprised to find Louise already there, reading a book. A big pile of books surrounded her, blocking him from her view. She was apparently excited by last night's experiments and wanted to learn more on how to control her magic.

Accelerator ignored her and looked around. It was then that he realized he could not read their language. If he wants information, then he would have to ask for it directly. It's not exactly a very appealing idea but it seems there is no other way. Sighing, he made his way back to Louise. She didn't notice his approach as she was absorbed in her book.

"Oi, brat."

"W—who is it...? Kyaa!"

Louise fell off her chair and looked at her familiar, rubbing her butt.

"F—familiar! How dare you leave your master's side! I've been looking for you. If they find out that my familiar ran away—"

Accelerator shut her up with a chop to her forehead. She rubbed the spot where he struck him, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Ow! What are you—?"

Accelerator gave her a few more chops and she fell silent, remembering how he can easily crush her skull with a single touch.

"Tell me. Is there a magic that can let you travel between different worlds?"

Louise just stared at him blankly, her eyes showing her confusion.

"Are you deaf?" Accelerator scowled down at her.

"N—no I've never heard of any spells like that!"

"Useless." Accelerator muttered as he headed for the exit.

"Wait!"

"What do you want?"

"Umm... we were supposed to go out and spend time getting to know our familiars today... Everyone should be out already... so I was thinking we should also..."

_How troublesome. _

"And? What's that got to do with me?"

"You're my familiar! It's only natural—"

"Looks like your misunderstanding something here, brat. You may have summoned me here but that doesn't mean I got to do what you say. You should be thankful I haven't killed you already."

Accelerator left, hoping the midget would give up. There's no need to get close to her as he doesn't plan on staying in this world for a long time anyways.

Unfortunately, Louise proved to be more stubborn than he expected. She followed him out with a determined expression and started spewing nonsense about familiars and obedience. Accelerator muted the sounds in response.

It was because of this that he didn't notice the two people that approached them from behind.

The red head who laughed at Louise during the summoning ritual seemed to be berating Louise on her failure while her shorter, blue haired companion buried her face in her book. Accelerator was oblivious to the situation until the red head came in front of him, angry at having been ignored.

Accelerator turned the volume back on and looked at the her.

"Looks like Louise not only summoned a perverted commoner, but a deaf one at that! So, how much is she paying you to act as her familiar?"

"That's ridiculous! I performed the ritual properly and he just showed up! Kirche, have you been spreading around this lie?" Louise seemed indignant. Even if a human was summoned, she knew that she performed the ritual right. Even when the explosion happened as usual, at least something showed up.

Accelerator ignored her and turned to the blue haired girl.

"Oi, brats shouldn't stay up so late at night. The hell were you doing flying in the dark?"

The girl looked at him briefly with surprised eyes and turned back to her book.

"Patrolling." She whispered.

"Hey Tabitha, you know this commoner?"

Tabitha gave Accelerator another brief look and walked away. Kirche made another snide remark before following her, demanding where she met Accelerator.

Louise looked downcast. She seemed to be muttering under her breath, her small voice barely audible.

"But I did do it right... stupid Kirche... I didn't fail this time... it's not my fault this thing showed up..."

Accelerator sighed.

_How pitiful. Looks like we're back where we started from..._

===Break===

"Where were you last night Guiche? I was looking for you! Admit it, you were with another girl aren't you?"

"Montmorency, I swear, there is a good explanation for this. Besides, I wouldn't need anyone else if you were by my side."

Accelerator is lying on the grass with his eyes closed, ignoring the fight. Louise sat not too far from him with a guilty look on her face. Siesta pushed a cart full of snacks, serving the nobles while trying to ignore the fight between Guiche and the girl.

There are no classes that day. The students are supposed to spend time with their familiar and get to know them. However, many of the students took the opportunity to socialize among themselves, ignoring their familiars.

Guiche seemed to be on the losing side of the argument. The girl seemed to be his girlfriend. She has long blonde hair styled into ringlets behind her back and held by a large, red ribbon. Guiche turned in Louise's direction, his eyes screaming for help. Montmorency on the other hand, misunderstood the action and slapped him on the cheek hard enough to leave a mark. She then made her way towards Louise, her wrath forming an ominous aura around her.

"Zero, what were you doing last night?" Montmorency asked in a cold voice.

"I—I was in my room... sleeping!"

"Oh really now... then I take it you weren't seeing Guiche last night?"

"Me? What would I want from that guy?"

"Is that so... Hey familiar, is I true that Louise did not leave her room last night?"

Accelerator looked at the girl's angry face. With a calm face, he answered.

"The brat never left her room. It was that guy who stayed in her room all night."

Montmorency's face turned livid.

"I—is this true? Louise, how dare you! To steal someone else's man...!"

"W—wait this is a misunderstanding! Tell her familiar!"

"You couldn't keep a tight reign on your man and you dare blame you own incompetence on someone else? Tch... this world's people must be more useless than I thought."

"W—what did you say? A mere commoner dares to speak that way against a noble?"

"This again...? This is why I hate spoiled brats like you."

"Well, well. What do we have here? Louise, does your commoner not even know how to properly speak to nobles?" Kirche had come over, sensing trouble brewing and wanting to take part in it.

By now, a large number of students have gathered around them, trying to see what's going on. Accelerator became more and more irritated. Large crowds reminded him of the old days when the whole world was after him.

"H—he just doesn't get much contact with nobles were he came from so this is a new environment for him!" Louise defended.

"Guiche, teach this familiar a lesson. Show him just what happens when you go against a noble—hey what's wrong with you?" Worry seeped into Montmorency's voice as she looked at Guiche.

Guiche's trauma over last night's event is still fresh in his head. His whole body is shaking and he fell to the ground, eyes wide with terror.

"Guiche?"

"I—it's nothing Montmorency... let's let him go for now... please."

"Aren't you a man? Would you back down to someone who insulted your girlfriend?"

"N—no but..."

Guiche sighed, defeated. There are many people watching. If he backs out now, then he would definitely be the laughingstock of the school afterward.

"Guiche, please don't do this." Louise pleaded.

"This is your fault Louise. It is the master's responsibility to discipline her familiar. Don't worry, I'll make sure Guiche doesn't kill him."

"That's not the point! Aren't you worried about Guiche? He will definitely die you know!"

The crowd laughed. A commoner killing a noble? Impossible.

"Oi, you brats done talking yet?" Accelerator's cold voice cut through the chatter, freezing Guiche in the process. "Pathetic. If you really believe you can take me on, then you're so pitiful that you deserve a hug."

The crowd laughed again. Guiche, on the other hand, cringed, no doubt remembering Accelerator's brutality.

_Looks like he's got some balls after all._ Accelerator thought as Guiche faced him, his rose wand aiming at his chest.

"Rise, Valkyrie!" Guiche learned not to stall for too long. He knows that Accelerator can end the match in an instant. However, he could still not match Accelerator's speed.

Accelerator kicked the ground, accelerating to an inhuman speed towards Guiche. The bronze golem shattered as soon as it appeared. With nothing in the way, Accelerator flew towards Guiche, delivering an uppercut to his chin, sending him flying. Guiche soared above the courtyard, gaining altitude as he flew.

**Crash.**

His momentum stopped as he hit a window, breaking it.

No one was laughing anymore.

Montmorency looked shocked, terrified even.

"Y—you what did you just do?" Despite her actions, she still loved Guiche. She pointed her wand at Accelerator hoping to get revenge.

**Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!**

The sound of breaking bones rang in the air. Several people screamed. Montmorency fell on the grass, coughing up blood. Her ribs disintegrated and pierced her internal organs. Accelerator grabbed her by the throat and held her up, his maniacal grin returning.

"Stop it!" Louise clutched his leg, tears streaming down her face. Accelerator ignored her and faced the choking Montmorency.

"Oh, this is just great. So fuckin' great." He laughed. "Prepare to follow your lover to hell!"

"Stop." Tabitha has her staff pointed at him, icicles in the air ready for bombardment. Kirche is at her side with her wand pointed at him also.

"Out of the way brat."

"No."

Accelerator sighed and stomped his foot on the ground.

**Kwaang! Crash!**

The earth shattered. Soil and rocks flew into the air. The shock wave spread, splitting the land as it did so. The school windows shattered, the glass fragments falling down like rain.

The students screamed and fled, hoping to escape the destruction.

Tabitha and Kirche rode the dragon just in time to escape the chaos underneath. They started bombarding Accelerator with a combination of ice and fire, only to find their spells being reflected back at twice the velocity. Seeing the failed attempt, they tried to form a strategy.

Accelerator tossed the bleeding Montmorency aside and manipulated the air around him, forming four whirlwinds on his back and propelling himself into the air.

The duo could only stare in shock as Accelerator flew towards them.

Tabitha recovered first and started to bombard him with ice stakes while maneuvering the dragon to avoid the deflected projectiles. She changed direction frequently, trying to out maneuver Accelerator in the air.

However, Accelerator caught up immediately and when he got close enough, he pointed the whirlwinds on his back to the dragon, combining all four to form a huge vortex. The dragon and its two riders plummeted to the ground, unconscious.

Accelerator returned to the ground and looked at the chaos around him. Many lay on the ground, injured. Those who have fled to the safety of the school have shards of glass impaled through their bodies. Teachers and water mages are scurrying about, tending to the wounded.

_Looks like you were wrong Yomikawa... I haven't changed at all._

Accelerator headed for the gates and Louise followed.

===Break===

Mr. Colbert and the principal watched the wreck in disbelief. They had been discussing about the runes that appeared on Louise's familiar.

"Gandalfr shouldn't be able to do this..." Mr. Colbert finally said, his voice tinged with fear.

"No... this is not the doings of Gandalfr. This is much more dangerous. To think that the third daughter of the Valliere summoned 'the one who wields the power of God'... This is quite shocking... and troublesome. Mr. Colbert, whatever the truth is, we must not allow this to leak!"

"A—acknowledged, sir."

===Break===

The brown haired girl attached a large scroll on the foot of a dove. It contains the report of everything she has witnessed.

She sent off the dove in a hurry, as if her life depended on it. The bird flew off into the distance, carrying a month's worth of report. The weight slowed it down a little. It should reach its destination in a few week's time.

"My, my. What do we have here?" A voice called out suddenly, causing the brunette to jump.

"Ah... Ms. Maid... What brings you here?"

"I was just about to send a letter to my family back in Tarbes, when I noticed a very suspicious person."

"Suspicious person? Whoever could you mean?"

"Ara, ara. Looks like the spy won't admit her affiliations."

The brunette darted to the window, trying to escape. Unfortunately, the maid was too fast. With a quick motion, she pinned the brunette to the ground, preventing her escape.

"I've been following you for quite a while now. That was quite a smart move you made last night, running to Guiche to throw me off... Well, things didn't work out as planned due to an unpredictable factor but... now that we have proof that you're the spy... what have you got to say for yourself, Ms. Katie."

"L—let me go! I'm innocent!"

"You're still saying that? I didn't follow you all this time for nothing. I have enough evidence to send you to prison."

"Lies! Lies! Lies!" The brunette's eyes filled with tears.

"Ms. Katie, I am sorry about this, but I'm afraid we'll have to interrogate you for a while." Another person joined them. Katie's eyes widened. Standing before her is her teacher, Mr. Colbert.

"Thank you for your help, Ms. Siesta. You may return to your duties now."

"Understood, sir."

Mr. Colbert watched Siesta leave. After she's gone, he knocked out the brunette and carried her to the headmaster's office.

_I'm really sorry about this. The cries of those children that I burned still lingers in my mind... I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me after all of this is over._

===Break===

A/N:

Whew! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Life is being mean to me again.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It will be another few days before the next update since I write and think slow.

Thank You for Reading,

UglyFingers


	4. You Shall not Pass!

A/N:

It has been brought to my attention that the difference in power level between Accelerator and the ZnT cast is as wide as Gaia's vast belly. I got nothing to say to that since it is true. I was actually worried about how I can keep the story going with such an OP character in a weak setting. However, I hope to make it so that the story isn't just about him pwning the rest of the characters. I just don't want the story to turn out like that so please give me heads up if it seems like I'm doing so. I wanted to write something that has an actual plot.

I actually wrote this story on a whim after re watching season 2 of TAMNI so I was insecure about how badly I'm going to screw things up. The stream of positive comments is rather scary (lol).

I also want to thank those who bothered leaving comments. It motivates me a lot to see that a lot of people are actually interested in this piece of thing that I wrote. It also help that many pointed out the areas of weakness in my writing so that I could work on them.

Just a bit of warning. Starting from here, the plot is going to deviate a bit from the actual storyline of ZnT quite a bit. The cast will also be tweaked a bit to follow up on that change. If I do something so ridiculous that it totally destroys all canon, then please point it out so I can fix it.

On a side note, I've received various PM's asking if Wanyuudo is an OC. He's not.

Another thing that some people PM'ed me about is the boat scene in the previous chapter with Kihara.

No, that is not a plot hole :D

And without further ado, here's chapter 3. Enjoy.

Chapter 3: "You shall not pass!"

"We are truly sorry about this, Princess Henrietta." Mr. Colbert bowed his head in shame

It is two days after Accelerator obliterated the school grounds. The Evaluation Fair is supposed to be held today but most of the students are seriously injured. Everyone was anticipating the event because the princess is supposed to watch that day. Unfortunately, the event had to be canceled since most of the participants have still not recovered.

Princess Henrietta was shocked to see the devastation when she arrived. She had been looking forward to seeing Louise that day since it's been a while since they last met. Seeing the school grounds in ruins gave her an ominous feeling as she entered the school.

"It's fine, Mr. Colbert. Though I am worried about Louise... You said she disappeared after that day?"

"Yes, we haven't didn't notice until yesterday that she was gone as we are busy tending to the injured... I'm really sorry. We should have made her first priority since she's directly related to the incident but we just had too much on our hands."

"I've been really looking forward to seeing her again... I just hope she's safe..."

She looked out the window of the headmaster's office. The once green grounds now lay in ruins. The upturned earth lay about in all directions. Rocks and roots are scattered in all directions. Large pieces of broken glass and gray stone that use to make up the walls are impaled on the ground, giving the area the atmosphere of a battlefield. The clean up has not been started yet due to lack of personnel. Priority is given to tending to the students.

"What could have done this? You said this was all caused by Louise's familiar? What type of mage was he? How could he do something so horrible..."

"We have not determined that yet. At first, we all thought that he's just a commoner. Someone who can't use magic... However, looking back on the events that day, we definitely saw him rending the earth so he must have an earth affinity at the least." Principal Osmond said, stroking his beard. His mouse darted out from under his desk and started circling around the room, taking a peek under Princess Henrietta's skirt in the process. The princess did not notice the mouse as she was absorbed in her thoughts.

"But didn't we also see him manipulating the wind to fly? Would that make him a wind mage then?" Mr. Colbert asked, a frown forming on his face.

"Whatever he is, we must not let this leak out to other countries. If they find out about someone this powerful, they will set their sights on Tristain and attempt to take him for themselves. Whatever happens, we must not let them gain any more power. Or worse, they might declare war to prevent us from getting powerful. Tristain is a small country and we don't exactly have the power to defend ourselves properly if the other countries declare war..." Henrietta's voice quivered. The idea of going to war against the larger nations sent shivers down her spine. The difference in power is just that overwhelming.

"We understand. We will hide this incident from the public to the best of our abilities. We'll also make sure the students understand the severity of the situation."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"We will also send out a search party to search for Louise and her familiar imme—"

**Bang!**

The door slammed open. A hysteric looking teacher burst in, her short, plump figure breathing heavily.

"I—it's terrible...! The Staff of Destruction... it... it's been stolen!"

"What?" The three exclaimed in unison.

"It seems the perpetrator is the notorious thief Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth. A maid saw her coming out of the vault and alerted us but we were unable to stop her!"

**Kwaaaang!**

The castle shook as something struck the barrier protecting the school walls.

They all looked out the window and saw a giant golem punching the barrier while the thief sat on its shoulder, creating smaller golems to hinder the pursuing mages. Henrietta's guards lay strewn on the ground, bleeding. The thief is wearing a robe with her face hidden under the hood. Tucked in her arm is the Staff of Destruction with it's barrel sticking out.

The school shook again as the giant golem landed another hit on the barrier.

"At a time like this... Mr. Colbert, please assist them and capture the thief!"

"Understood, sir."

Mr. Colbert opened the window and jumped. He pointed his staff at an angle between the ground and behind him and cast a large stream of fire. He soared towards the golem, shooting fireballs as he got closer.

Fouquet formed a wall of earth, blocking his attacks. The giant golem turned towards Mr. Colbert and threw a punch at him. He dodged the attack, spinning underneath the arm and shot large explosions towards its face.

Fouquet reformed the wall to block the attack and smiled. Out from the underside of the golem's arm grew a pillar of stone, hitting Mr. Colbert and driving him to the ground.

**Bang!**

He created another explosion, disintegrating the pillar and raining small chunks of stone upon him. He fell to ground, covered in a cloud of dust and rocks.

"Professor, are you okay?" One of the pursuers asked him, her voice filled with worry.

"I'm fine. Ms. Zerbst it's you who should be staying in bed! Leave this to me. Tell the others to fall back. I don't want all of you to get caught up in what I'm about to do."

"We're fine, Professor. Me and Tabitha aren't as badly injured as the others... I think he went easy on us... So please, let us help!"

Mr. Colbert looked at Kirche and Tabitha. This isn't something children should stick their heads into.

"I'll be fine. Both of you, please tell the others to retreat. I should be handle this by myself."

"But—"

"Please." Mr. Colbert gave them a stern look, hoping they would obey.

Kirche finally conceded and shouted to the rest of them, telling them to retreat. When they got to a safe distance. Mr. Colbert turned back to the thief, sighing as he did so.

_I think I'm getting too old for this._

"Oho? Sending the others away... You must be quite confident, trying to take me on by yourself when not even all of them combined can stop me. Looks like I made the right decision to choose this day to attack. Whatever that monster kid did a few days ago, it destroyed the spell protecting the vault. It's also such good luck to see you all out of personnel." Fouquet called out to him mockingly.

"You shall not pass! Although I hate violence, I won't forgive you for trying to hurt my students!" Mr. Colbert's eyes blazed, his willpower filling to the brim.

He tapped the bottom of his staff to the ground.

**Fwishhhh!**

Fire blossomed from the earth and spread in all directions, burning everything in its path. Stone and glass alike melted as it passed through. After reaching a radius of a few hundred meters, it joined ends with the others, creating a wall of fire around him and the thief.

Fouquet looks stunned. She is trapped inside the blazing inferno with no way to escape. The only way out is to kill the caster.

The giant golem raised its arm and brought it down onto Mr. Colbert, trying to crush him.

**Boooom!**

The arm exploded into a rain of soil. The fire that blasted through it grew bigger and bigger until it reached the same size as the golem.

Fouquet regrew the arm and relentlessly pounded into the giant ball of fire, only to find the golem disintegrating as it hit.

The giant ball slowly took shape. It grew a head, small wings, and claws all over its body. Two horns grew on its head and two long whiskers grew out of its snout. Its body elongated and twisted into coils.

The winged serpent reared and threw its head back, preparing to attack. As the giant golem launched itself against it, it's blazing wings struck the air, creating a pillar of white fire. The white-hot pillar raged against the golem, stripping away at its earthen layers.

Fouquet screamed. The heat is starting to ignite her clothes, burning her disguise.

In a desperate attempt, she grew an arm on the golem's stomach, extending it into the distance. The arm's thickness is greater than normal, causing it to miraculously pass through the wall of fire and slam against the window of the headmaster's office.

"Kyaaaaaa!" The princess's scream pierced the air, hitting a few octaves as she was pulled out of the room.

"Oh, no!" Mr. Colbert looked at the captured princess in despair.

"It seems I've won. Extinguish these flames at once before I kill the princess!"

Mr. Colbert let out an exasperated sigh and the giant bird as well as the wall of flame disappeared. He collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

Fouquet took this chance and pulled the arm holding the princess back to the golem's stomach. The stomach opened up and formed a sort of prison, earthen bars holding the unconscious princess within. She fainted as the hand holding her squeezed the air out of her, cutting off her supply of oxygen.

Before the rest of the school could react, she released the magic holding the giant golem, scattering pieces of soil and rock in the process. A dust cloud formed and hid her from view. A gust of wind then blew the debris away and she was gone along with the princess.

_Damn it! If only I was ten years younger... _

Mr. Colbert cursed himself as he fell unconscious.

===Break===

"Will he be okay?" Principal Osmond asked.

"He'll be fine. He just overexerted himself is all. Looks like his age is getting to him. He hasn't done something that strenuous in since he was hired to teach here..."

"Thank you Ms. Siesta. Please look after him for now."

"Yes, sir."

Osmond watched her leave. Mr. Colbert was found unconscious on the still hot school grounds. They took him to the medical ward to rest. Unfortunately, they do not have anyone to send to search for the kidnapped princess. There are still many students in critical condition and leaving them to die to pursue a thief goes against Osmond's morals. The royal palace was also notified of the princess's abduction and a group of soldiers have been dispatched to search for her. They will arrive in three days.

_That's too long... we need to take action now. The princess is getting further and further away from us by the minute! Damn it, what's with this series of unfortunate events?_

**Knock. Knock.**

"Enter."

His secretary Ms. Longueville entered the office, followed by Kirche and Tabitha.

"I know that the both of you are tired but you two are the only people that I can entrust this to. Now, Ms. Longueville, if you please."

"Yes, sir." She turned to the two and started her report. "I went to town and was informed by the people of a suspicious figure who goes in and out of an abandoned house located deep inside the forest."

Osmond smiled at her. "As swift and diligent as always, Ms. Longueville."

She nodded. "Based on their testimonies, I was able to draw this."

She produced a scroll from inside her clothes. Drawn on it is the mysterious figure of the thief.

"What do you think? Is it Fouquet?"

Tabitha nodded once. Kirche said, "It's Fouquet! No mistake about it!"

"I am ashamed of having students such as yourselves to take up this task, but the situation is very urgent. As you know, the princess has been taken by the thief Fouquet. I want the two of you to trail her and retrieve the princess. I trust that Ms. Tabitha's skill as a chevalier will prove very useful. Now I ask of you, are you two up to this task?"

"Knight? Tabitha?" Kirche seemed surprise by the sudden revelation. Tabitha nodded to both Osmond's and Kirche's question.

After seeing Tabitha's nod, Kirche agreed also.

Both of them have been inspired by the passionate battle that their teacher fought hours ago. They were only able to stand in awe as he stood there, eyes shining as brightly as his bald head.

This also caused Kirche to see him under a new light.

"Will my beloved be okay?" She asked, worried.

Principal Osmond raised an eyebrow in question.

"I think she means Mr. Colbert, sir." Ms. Longueville answered for her.

"Ah. He will be fine. He's just exhausted after overexerting himself. As you get older, you will find yourself unable to do things that you used to. Don't worry about him. I will make sure he gets proper treatment."

Kirche sighed in relief.

"Old Osmond, I'll accompany them as a guide." The secretary spoke up.

"Ah, will you, Ms. Longueville?"

"I planned to do so all along." She smiled.

"Now if there are no more questions, you are all dismissed. I pray for your good fortune."

Osmond watched them leave with an with a worried look on his face.

_I just hope I'm not sending these kids to their deaths..._

===Break===

"It's you again, old man."

"That I am. I had hoped we would never see each other again and yet here we are. This must be some sort of fate isn't it?"

Wanyuudo sat across from Accelerator, his eyes so narrowly opened that they looked shut. He is in his usual attire which consists of a dark red brown haori that he wears over a yukata of a khaki color. His bald head is covered by the usual light gray fedora. Around his neck is a red scarf. Accelerator wondered just how old he is and just how long he was stuck in this place and why he hasn't gone to hell yet.

The Sanzen river stretched out in front and behind them, it's true length indistinguishable. The same black haired girl in black kimono is ferrying another soul to hell, this time a womanizer. Another female figure is on the boat. She is quite tall and has long, dark hair tied up in a traditional Japanese way. Her clothing is also traditional and consists of a blue kimono with a white nagajuban on top. Accelerator shivered as the boat passed one of the floating lanterns that lit up the dark river. The woman's flesh disappeared as the light struck her, leaving behind her skeleton. The empty sockets of her eyes stood out clearly in the brief illumination. Her flesh returned as they sailed out of range.

"So, enjoying your new life?"

"..."

"That was quite something... what you did to those kids yesterday..."

"You were watching?"

"Of course, Ojou told me to keep an eye on you. Looks like you acquired some nice tricks with that new body of yours."

Accelerator looked confused. Tricks? It doesn't seem as if he was fighting any differently than usual...

Seeing his confused look, the old man elaborated.

"You shouldn't have been able to reflect those fire and ice attacks as they were made from magic, thus something you should not be able to comprehend and reflect... like dark matter... and magic..." The old man said with a thoughtful look, rubbing his chin. "Well never mind, it seems your personal reality has adapted to the new environment rather quickly... perhaps a side effect of the summoning?"

Accelerator stared at the old man. How does he know such things? Just who the hell is he?

Wanyuudo smiled, as if reading his thoughts. "I tend to pick up quite a few things as we watched the world change. People have come up with rather interesting things."

"Speaking of which, that lad over there has been here for quite a while now. He seems to be in a similar situation as you..."

Accelerator turned to see who the old man is pointing at and nearly laughed.

_So the bastard survived huh... looks like I wasn't the only lucky one._

On a boat a few hundred meters ahead of them is Guiche with his back turned to them. Attached to his chest is the same chain as Accelerator's.

Accelerator felt somehow relieved. Most of the punks that attacked him in Academy City to test their strength usually end up with broken bones and serious injuries, but he does not make it a point to kill them. Guiche does not exactly fall under that category, and yet he was the first one that Accelerator came the closest to actively killing. He has killed many but those are not without reason. Killing someone on a whim increased his self disgust.

"_That feeling you have will eventually pay back your debt."_

_I'm not too sure about that, Yomikawa. I'm going to have to seriously kill some people one of these days... That feeling alone won't be enough to pay back my debts after I'm done._

===Break===

"And...? Just why the hell did you follow me?"

"B—because you're my familiar!"

"And I told you I don't care abou—"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Louise waved her arms in exasperation. Accelerator lay on the couch with his eyes closed, his expression peaceful. Louise hovered over him. Her frustration has reached new peaks. Trying to make him obediently follow her back to the school and apologize is as hard as trying to crack a coconut with your teeth.

After a day of walking, Accelerator found an old, abandoned shack deep inside the forest. Someone seems to be using it as most of the cooking equipment are clean. He could tell that Louise was following him but he ignored her. Despite his coldness to her, he still felt an unusual connection with the midget. After all, it was her who gave him a second chance to live. She also reminded him of the other midget he left back in Academy City. Even though they are completely different in many ways, her presence reminded him that he still has a place he needs to get back to.

"To summon something like you as my familiar... just how much of a failure am I...?"

"It's because you keep calling yourself a failure that you remain one."

"But I've been trying my best and everything that I do just ends up in failure! Even my familiar can use better magic than me..." She grew smaller and smaller, her self confidence dwindling. She is a disgrace to the Valliere name. Her family have produced many powerful mages in the past. She is the only one who has failed in the family's history.

Accelerator looked at her, feeling a mixture of pity and anger.

"_Is showing goodwill towards others really that scary?"_

_Damn it. Why does Yomikawa's voice keep popping up... _

"Tried? You call that trying? Listen here brat, whether you accomplish something or not is all that matters. The effort you put in is worthless if you don't achieve results. Do you really think you can just walk away after failing, saying you've tried your best? That kind of attitude in which you run away from yourself is the reason why you have never moved forward. If you can't even believe in yourself, then how do you expect others to believe in you?"

"W—what do you know?" Louise looked indignant. Despite the fact that Kirche and the others tormented her for every spell that she failed, she still pursued strongly ahead and tried to prove constantly that she is not a "zero".

Louise's outburst delayed the onset of her incoming depression.

_Well, at least now I know how to keep her from getting depressed. But did I really just say all that? That sounds so melodramatic that I feel like killing myself. I swear this is why brats are so..._

"The reason why you feel that way is because you keep comparing yourself to others. So what if you can't do what they can? Just find something else that only you can do and improve that one thing. An electromaster shouldn't try to read minds or teleport things."

"Electromaster?" Louise asked, confused.

"The point is, stop doing what you obviously can't do and find something else that suits you. Create your own Personal Reality in which you are the strongest." Accelerator said, patting her head.

"I—I don't need my familiar to patronize me!" Louise shook off his hand violently. She looks so adorable even when she's mad...

"You say that like it's so easy..."

"Don't worry about it and let me sleep dammit. You should take a nap as well... maybe then you'll get bigger... especially around the chest area..."

Louise blushed. "W—what did you say? I'll have you know I grew half a centimeter last year... Wait that's not the point! It seems the familiar needs to be reminded of his status... how dare you talk to your master like that? That's it, no food for a week!"

Accelerator raised an eyebrow. It had been him who went out to hunt for their food after his escape. Louise obviously has no experience in such matters after living a sheltered life for so long. There are no big animals to be found so Accelerator settled with rabbits.

Louise won't be able to tell the difference anyways since rabbits taste similar to chicken...

If only she knew how butchering the cute little thing looks like...

Louise looked like she was going to say something else but Accelerator put a hand on her mouth, shutting her up. Louise struggled, angry at having been interrupted.

"Shh..."

Accelerator gestured outside and Louise nodded.

===Break===

The sound of a horse and cart broke the stillness of the forest. The trip itself was uneventful. Not one word was spoken as each person was absorbed in her own thoughts.

After a three hour ride, they finally arrived at the shack in the forest.

"Oho, so it's just you people. You here to take me back?"

Ms. Longueville almost screamed, her hands on her mouth. The horses pulling the cart sensing danger, slowly tried to back away, only to find themselves blocked by the cart. Kirche only sat there, her mouth hanging open. The presence of the man wielding incomprehensible power scared her stiff. They didn't know what to expect when they started their mission but they definitely did not expect to meet the person who destroyed the school and critically injured their friends to be here. Tabitha was the only one who seems unaffected by the killing aura that Accelerator is emitting.

Tabitha leaped out of the cart and faced him, staff at the ready.

"Staff of Destruction." She whispered, barely audible to the human ear.

"What was that? This is your final warning. If you're planning on taking me by force, then you must surely know you stand no chance against me right? Next time you try doing something so stupid, bring with you a couple armies at least." Accelerator warned, his expression terrifyingly calm. He scratched his ear and

Ms. Longueville spoke up, seeing as the situation seems hopeless if they rely on Tabitha's speaking skill, which to say is almost nonexistent.

"No! This is a misunderstanding... We are here to capture a thief who escaped with a priceless artifact... We definitely do not have any intention of going against you..."

Accelerator thought for a minute, digesting what she has told him.

"There is no one here like that. Go back and forget you ever saw me."

"Kirche... and Tabitha?" Louise came out of the doorway and tried to assess the situation.

"Louise! So you were alive?" Kirche said, relieved. Even though their families are in a feud at the moment, Kirche felt a strange bond between her and the midget.

"What are you guys doing here?"

===Break===

"The princess was kidnapped?" Louise exclaimed, worry for her childhood friend clearly etched on her face.

Ms. Longueville filled in Louise on what happened after she left. Louise grew more and more worried as the words hit her.

_If only I didn't summon him... then the protection on the school would have never broken and Fouquet would have never done all this!_

The familiar in question is lying on the couch as they discussed the matter, passively listening with his eyes closed. The four of them sat around the table with a heavy atmosphere. Ms. Longueville did most of the explanations with Kirche adding some minor details in between. Tabitha is as silent as always.

"So, will you help us, Ms. Valliere?"

"Of course! It is my duty as a Valliere to protect the princess!" Louise puffed out her chest. It did not have much of an effect as she does not have much to puff out.

"Oho? Are you sure about this Louise? Won't you just be a hindrance?" Kirche smirked.

"I'll have you know I've been getting better... I can even cast fireball now!"

Kirche laughed. Such a simple spell to be proud of...

"And what about you Mr. Familiar... will you also help us?" Ms. Longueville continued.

Everyone froze. They looked at Accelerator cautiously, expecting him to lash out at any second.

"And why in the hell should I? Rescue the princess...? Do I look like some sort of hero?"

===Break===

"Even though you said all that, you still wanted to help?" Louise asked, her tone dry.

Accelerator ignored the question and closed his eyes.

He does not particularly care about the princess or the so called Staff of Destruction but he just can't seem to leave the midget to her own devices. It had been like this back in Academy City as well. The hyperactive Last Order always seem to drag him around all over the place, never giving him a moment to rest.

They were sitting in the cart that Ms. Longueville is driving. When it was clear that the thief Fouquet is clearly not hiding in the shack, they decided to town and gather more information.

"I've been curious for a while now but... are you a mage?" Ms. Longueville asked Accelerator.

"Isn't that obvious?" Kirche answered for him. After all, what else can cause such destruction if not magic?

"No." Accelerator answered flatly.

The look of shock on their faces is pretty satisfying. Even Louise gaped at him, her mouth working but no words came out. Tabitha looked at him briefly then turned back to her book, her face expressionless as always.

Kirche made another comment about how Louise failed and summoned a commoner. Louise in turn, fought back heatedly. Accelerator muted their voices and pretended to sleep.

A short while later, they came across what seemed to be a trail of loose soil and rocks. Ms. Longueville dropped down and inspected the trail, concluding that it's the same parts that composed the giant golem of the thief.

She went ahead to investigate, leaving the girls with Accelerator.

"What's taking her so long?" Louise complained after fifteen minutes have passed.

Kirche seemed to be irritated as well. After another minute passed, she also went after Ms. Longueville.

Tabitha kept on reading her book, totally unaffected by the long wait.

Kirche came back a few minutes later, holding the Staff of Destruction triumphantly in the air.

"You've found it? But wait... where's Ms. Longueville...?"

Accelerator sat up, sensing a strong killing intent.

**Craaaashhh!**

Tons of earth rained down on them as the giant fist crashed down on the cart as soon as Kirche reached them.

Fouquet stood on the shoulder of the giant golem, her face twisted into an evil smile.

_That was too easy..._

Or not.

Fouquet's smile disappeared as she saw the golem's arm disintegrate, unable to handle the shock of its own force rebounding back on itself. A cloud of dust covered the girls, hiding them from view.

She regrew the golem's arm and swung it down once more.

**Craaaasshhh!**

"I—impossible!"

The dust cleared, revealing the four in the cart, unharmed.

"I was wondering what it was that disturbed my sleep. Tch, and I just said to at least bring a couple armies before trying to fight me. Do you really think you can take me on with something as flimsy as that, Ms. Longueville?"

"What?" Louise and Kirche gaped at him. They definitely weren't expecting this. The one controlling the golem is dressed in the same robe and hood, hiding her identity. No one could tell any resemblance between the two... except for the green hair...

"Looks like I underestimated you, familiar. How did you know?" The figure took off her hood and revealed her face. Longueville looked down on them with a smirk on her face.

"Only an idiot wouldn't be able to figure it out after all the clues you've given." Accelerator turned to Tabitha. "Take these two and get away from here." He ordered.

Tabitha nodded once and whistled. They have taken back the Staff of Destruction so there wasn't really any need to stay, apart from apprehending the criminal.

"Kyuui!"

The dragon that was following them out of sight until now burst into view. Tabitha got on it and waited for Kirche and Louise to follow.

"You can't seriously be thinking of fighting against that!" Louise snapped at Accelerator, pointing at the giant golem.

Accelerator ignored her and walked towards the golem when Louise moved in front of him and pointed her wand at it.

"Fireball!"

The spell chipped away a part of the golem's arm but did not do any more damage than that.

Louise fell on her knees, disappointed at her failure. Accelerator picked her up and threw her towards Tabitha. The dragon caught her in mid-air and proceeded to escape, leaving Accelerator to face the golem alone.

"I swear, that brat is more trouble than she's worth..."

"Sending the others away... just like the old man from today... you're quite confident in yourself aren't you?"

"If you really think you can beat me just because you have that thing, then you're even more of an idiot than that useless blonde. You've already seen my strength and yet you still dare challenge me?" Accelerator's face turned more and more sadistic with each word.

===Break===

Louise looked back at where they left her familiar to fight alone against the monstrosity. If even their teacher Mr. Colbert couldn't defeat it, she doubts her familiar could.

The dragon is hovering in the air a fair distance away. They could still see the golem and Fouquet on its shoulder. Fouquet said something and the monstrosity started moving. The ground shook and the forest trembled with each movement. Birds as well as trees flew in the air, uprooted.

Louise filled with worry with each quake. It also hurts her pride as a noble to be running away while her familiar fights on his own.

"Tabitha we have to go back!"

The blue haired girl only shook her head and said, "Dangerous. Strange winds."

Louise opened her mouth to argue when a deafening roar thundered through the forest. The sound was unlike any that they have ever heard. They saw the golem explode to pieces in aflash of bright light. What seemed like fire and electricity ran through some of its pieces.

"W—what was that?" Louise gasped. The mere destructive power of the attack that shattered the golem put her in awe.

Kirche and Tabitha were shocked also. Kirche's mouth hangs open while Tabitha simply has her eyes wide. With a nod to each other, they headed back to see what happened.

===Break===

"G—get away from me... y—you monster!" Longueville crawled on the ground. The shock of having her golem destroyed to pieces so easily by a single attack still have her in disbelief. She fell to the ground as the attack hit, the shock wave throwing her a fair distance away and breaking a few of her ribs as well as her hip in the process.

"Oho? A monster, am I? Now that's just too funny... Because I _am_ a monster." Accelerator laughed. It sounded so eerie in the forest that Longueville shivered.

"Please... spare me..."

_I've been hearing that line quite a lot recently._

"W—what did you do anyway...? I've never heard of such magic..."

Truly. Barbarians.

"You're telling me you people don't even know what the most abundant state of matter in the universe is?" Accelerator asked increduluosly. Back in Academy City, even grade schoolers know what plasma is...

"Well never mind, time for you to die."

"Wait!" Louise called out from above. The dragon circled and then landed a few feet from him. Louise jumped down and hurried over before Accelerator gets a chance to go any further.

"Where is the princess?" Louise demanded.

"You really think I'll tel— arrghh!"

**Sppluuurrrtt. **

She clutched the socket where her left eye used to be, writhing in pain.

"Tell us and I'll kill you painlessly." Accelerator said coldly.

She looked at him in anger and fear, trembling in pain.

"Still don't wanna talk?"

**Crack. Crack. Fwiiip. Spliiisssshh. **

Longueville screamed. The hand she was holding to her eye fell off, severed at the elbow. Blood streamed from the gaping stump, dyeing the ground crimson.

Kirche vomited. Louise closed her eye and looked away. She is used to his brutality by now but she still finds it revolting.

Tabitha tapped Accelerator on the shoulder and whispered, "Stop. Need alive."

Accelerator sighed. He controlled the circulation of blood that's pouring out of the arm and returned it to the body.

"So, still don't wanna talk?"

Yellow liquid dripped down her thighs and she nodded, too scared to talk.

===Break===

Princess Henrietta stirred. She had been dreaming about the time she spent with Louise as a child. The happy memories calmed her heart until she noticed where she is.

_What is this? Why is the ceiling so low... who turned off the lights? _

She pushed against the ceiling but it did not budge. The rattle of chains could be heard from the outside the box that she is in.

_No no no no no... where am I? Someone... please... I'm still alive... why won't anyone let me out of here...?_

She screamed but the sound was lost in the darkness.

The coffin in the damp dungeon shook once more then fell silent.

===Break===

A/N:

Out of ideas so next update might take a bit.


	5. Halt! Are you idiots blind?

A/N:

I'm not really sure what to think after writing this chapter... I feel like there's a lot of things that are missing but I can't figure out what. Anyways if the developments seem to be somewhat confusing, please say so. I'm also a bit worried that this ugly piece of scribbles will turn into something dark in the future. I'm contemplating on whether to rewrite the whole thing actually, but meh. Laziness tells me to just stick with it.

Multi-trolling in this chapter.

So... Troll Chapter?

Anyways, expect the unexpected. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: "Halt! Are you idiots blind?"

"You were quite early... I was told not to expect your arrival for three more days. And to think they would send the captain of the Griffin Knights himself..." Osmond said.

A group of soldiers are gathered in his office. They don't seem the least tired even though they must have pushed themselves hard to arrive as soon as possible. Mr. Colbert has recovered enough to stand by his side as the soldiers began asking them questions.

Their leader, a noble with graying hair and wearing a wide brimmed hat with a feather stuck on its side, led the discussion. An aura of superiority surrounded him, well befitting a man who serves as the Captain of Tristain's Griffin Knights. He brought with him two dozen soldiers for the rescue mission. However, they do not seem to be Griffin Knights themselves.

"How incompetent. To not only let a thief steal such an artifact but to also stand by idly and allow the princess to be abducted? I'm starting to have doubts about the credibility of this school."

Mr. Colbert gritted his teeth at the insult, trying to hold back a retort. Osmond only closed his eyes and listened in silence.

"We have no excuse for this, but I'm sure we will be able to find her once we capture Fouquet—" Osmond started.

"We will take over from here. You folks just stay back and let us knights handle this."

"But Lord Wardes! Wouldn't it be more efficient if we combine our efforts and cooperate?"

"We can handle this on our own, Mr. Colbert. And besides, it would hurt our pride as to seek assistance from an injured person."

Mr. Colbert looked furious.

"Such rudeness..." He sputtered after the soldiers left.

"Mr. Colbert, I have a bad feeling about this. We must stay vigilant. There is just something that feels off about those men..."

===Break===

Accelerator stared at the Staff of Destruction in bewilderment.

_How in the holy hell did this get here? Staff of Destruction my ass! This thing is a fucking rocket launcher!_

"I don't know why you're staring at it so intently, but may I remind you that we're in a hurry?" Louise reminded her familiar. Her understanding of him have changed over the past few days that they spent together. He has shown a caring attitude for her when he could just a easily have killed her and spared himself the trouble but he didn't. Instead, he tolerated her company and even took care of her in the house in the forest. Louise didn't think much of it back then but looking at it now, there seemed to be more to her familiar than just a cold blooded monster.

"..."

Accelerator stared at it for another minute and sighed. Worrying about unexplainable things won't get him anywhere. He made a mental note to investigate it later.

Kirche took the Staff of Destruction and wrapped it in her cape. She's tried hiding it in her cleavage like she does with her wand but found it too big to fit in the tight space between her melons, or as Accelerator thought of it, coconuts. That didn't stop her from trying several times though.

They boarded the dragon and with a flutter of wings, flew to save the princess.

===Break===

The maid knew she didn't have much time. The door creaked loudly as she opened it. A low moan came from the darkness. The maid lit a lamp and shined the light on the girl chained to the wall. Her tattered clothing was covered in grime and her face with dried up tears.

"Please... just kill me..."

"I'm afraid I can't kill you just yet Ms. Katie. You've held on pretty well considering how rough we were... Is your cause really worth your unwavering loyalty?"

Katie looked up, as if expecting to see salvation on the ceiling. The maid looked at her pitifully. If only they weren't on different sides, she knew they would undoubtedly get along rather well.

"You know, when I left my hometown of Tarbes, I never expected to be caught up in something as big as this." The maid began. Katie ignored her but she kept talking anyway. "All I wanted was to find a decent paying job and help my family raise my siblings. And even though I've always dreamed of life changing fantasies, such as being swept off my feet by a prince and living the rest of my life in luxury, I still kept myself trapped in this reality that dreaming about such improbable things is pure foolishness..." She smiled at the thought.

"And that's why I jumped at the chance to help when a certain bald man approached me, my naivety leading me down the path of no return... Do you know how hard it is to train as a maid? I didn't even know that all maids are required to learn battle skills on par with knights... I guess maid training changed quite a bit since the last time I heard about it... News apparently don't travel to such remote places as Tarbes... And so here I am, holding a young girl captive in a cold, damp dungeon. Oh how I wish I could go back to that time of innocence... but no, it's too late for me to turn back." Her regretful tone turned dark. "I have already pledged myself to this cause, thinking that even a country girl like me can make a difference in pursuit of the greater good. This is the only path left to me. I hope you understand, as you seem to be in a similar situation."

The maid smiled at Katie, a dangerous aura forming around her. Even in the face of imminent suffering, the girl in chains only stared back defiantly. The maid brandished a large kitchen knife and a frying pan from underneath her apron and brought them close to the brunette's unflinching face.

**Baaam!**

===Break===

The door burst open and men in armor marched in, shining their lanterns around the room. There were chains attached to the wall and signs of life littered the place. Dried blood stained the stone floor and walls. The soldiers rummaged around the room, searching for the stolen item.

"Sir, it seems there were people here until recently. Judging from the state of the room, it has not been five minutes until this place was abandoned."

Wardes rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"Four of you follow me. The rest will search the lower dungeons for the princess."

"But sir... are you sure the princess is in the school? Shouldn't we be looking for the trail of the thief outside?"

Wardes gave the young soldier a piercing glare.

"Do you really think the infamous Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth is stupid? I wouldn't put it past her to hide the princess in the place we least expect. Just do what I say and don't ask questions. Didn't they tell you this during basic training?"

"Y—yes, sir!"

The soldier slowly backed away and joined the rest to search the school.

Wardes watched him leave with a smirk on his face.

_Now if that dumb bitch followed the plan correctly, the princess should be in _that_ place. I just hope she didn't make us wait in the forest for days to get this opportunity for nothing. If everything falls in place, then we can eliminate an annoying bastard easily this early in the game..._

===Break===

The maid watched them leave through a small crack in the wall, disturbed at what she just heard. The revolving wall flipped to the other side when the soldiers came in, hiding the maid and her captive in the hidden room behind the wall. She knocked out Katie as to prevent her from making noise.

The soldiers searched the room, as if looking for something specific. After they left, the maid left Katie behind the revolving wall. There are more urgent matters to attend to. If her hunch is right, then Wardes might know just where the princess is. And if he does, then he is definitely the mastermind behind this plot.

===Break===

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Louise complained.

"Kyuui!" The dragon warbled, hurt at being called a "thing".

"I already told you idiots that we should just drop this excess baggage if you want to go faster." Accelerator pointed at Longueville. The stump where her left arm had been a few minutes ago is now wrapped in bandages. Blood dripped from the clumsy wrappings. Accelerator's ability is the only thing keeping her alive.

"Who're you calling idiot? Is that any way to talk to your master? Your just a familiar—"

"He's right Louise, it must be hard enough for poor Sylphid to carry all of us but if you add in the weight of this old—"

"I'm only twenty!" Longueville looked indignant. She knows how everyone in the school thinks of her as an old hag but she never got the chance to set them straight...

"—hag, who's feminity ran out long ago..." Kirche drawled out, feeling her breasts. "...then of course Sylphid won't be able to fly like usual."

Longueville was about to snap back when Tabitha stopped the dragon with a sudden jerk, almost unseating the passengers. A large cloud of dust could be seen in the distance, obscuring the road. Accelerator bent the sun's rays and reformed his telescope of light.

Looking closer, the cloud seem to come from the dust kicked up by dozens upon dozens of horses, all sprinting towards the school. Soldiers with rapiers on their waist rode with grim expressions, their white capes billowing behind them. Most are females with two or three men scattered through the ranks. Leading them is a blonde woman with short hair that fell to her face. A sword decorated her left hip and a pistol in the other. Her green eyes focused on the road ahead. Exhaustion can be seen on all of their faces.

Tabitha turned Sylphid to meet the incoming soldiers. They didn't notice the approaching beast until it was above them, its shadow blocking the sun. With a cry of surprise, they scattered and assumed a defensive stance, swords drawn. Sylphid landed a few feet away and faced them.

The soldiers prepared to charge.

"Halt! Are you idiots blind? Drawing your blades against students, you should be ashamed of yourselves." The leader jumped off her horse and headed towards the dragon. Seeing that she was right, the rest sheathed their blades.

"I am Agnes Chevalier de Milan, Captain of the Musketeer Corps and entrusted by Her Highness to retrieve Princess Henrietta. We are in quite a bit of a rush as you can see so hurry up and state your business."

Before any of them could respond, Accelerator jumped off the dragon and threw Longueville on the ground in front of Agnes. Blood splattered on her boots as Longueville hit the ground.

"About time you people get here. Like they always say, the authorities never come until it's all over." It had been the same in Academy City as well. Many punks went down the wrong path after they've lost faith in the abilities of Anti-Skill and Judgment to arrive on time.

Agnes raised her eyebrows in question and stared at the bloodied mess in front of her. Longueville is holding her arm in while trying to cover her left eye at the same time. The shock of being thrown on the ground sent shocks through her body and reopened her wounds. She did not seem to be losing blood however, as every spill just ends up going back into her body.

Kirche and Louise explained the situation before Accelerator could create another misunderstanding, leaving out minor details such as how the golem was defeated and how Longueville reached the state she is in now. The captain's face grew relieved as she heard the news. They had been riding without food nor rest while pushing their horses to the limit in order to reach the school as fast as possible. The squad seemed thankful for the break. A few musketeers as well as horses collapsed, exhausted by the journey.

Longueville was passed to two men who were apparently water mages to heal her injuries. Although they couldn't regrow her arm or regenerate her eye, they could at least close up the gaping holes and stop the bleeding. They tied her up afterwards, to be sent to prison back in the capital.

"But still, it's quite amazing how you kids were able to accomplish all this by yourselves." Agnes complimented with an approving look.

"Of course, as a Zerbst and a noble, it is only my duty to be of assistance during such situations." Kirche said proudly. Accelerator and the other two girls ignored her. No matter what she says, all of them knew exactly what happened.

After a few more minutes of rest, the Musketeer Corps prepared to head to the school, guided by Tabitha and Sylphid in the air.

"Are you sure you don't want to get on?" One of the musketeers asked Accelerator. Out of all of them, he was the only one on foot. Louise is on Agnes's horse and Kirche is sharing a horse with one of the water mages, rubbing her body against his back in the process. The poor guy seemed to be having trouble keeping his hands on the reins as her hands started working its way all over his body, feeling his hard muscles.

"Mind your own business." Accelerator answered the musketeer. "And besides, I'm probably faster than any creature in this country anyways."

And with that, he kicked the ground, accelerating towards the school at almost the speed of sound and enjoying the look of surprise on the musketeer's face as he sped by.

"What was that?" Agnes asked Louise, gaping at the dust cloud that Accelerator left behind in wonder.

"That, is my familiar." Louise answered proudly.

===Break===

"May I ask what business you have in my humble office? I suppose you already have an idea of the princess's location for you to be dawdling around here."

Wardes smiled back at Osmond warmly, sipping his tea. His four subordinates stood behind his chair at attention. It has been an hour since they started their search in the school. The staff were all too busy to keep an eye on them as they searched.

"Come on now, don't be so cold, old man. I apologize if I seem a bit rude a while ago. Shouldn't we as gentlemen be more easy going and let bygones be bygones?"

"And the search for the princess?"

"I already have an idea of where the vile thief is holding her captive. My subordinates are searching for her as we speak."

"Oh? And where do you suppose Fouquet took her?" Mr. Colbert asked, suspicious.

Wardes's smile grew wider. He's clearly enjoying keeping them in suspense like this.

"If you really want to know then I suppose I can—"

"Hey did you hear something?" One of the soldiers behind him asked the other.

"What? I don't hear any..."

"See! There it is again! It sounds like metal striking wood..."

Osmond and Mr. Colbert exchanged glances. They obviously couldn't hear what the soldiers are referring to.

**Rattle. **

A soft, rattling sound came from behind the bookshelves to Osmond's left, growing louder as it went on.

Wardes merely gave it a passing glance and turned back to Osmond with an amused smirk.

_Ha... it seems the sleeping beauty has finally awoken._

"Is there perhaps a room hidden behind those bookshelves by any chance?"

"In all of the long years that I have spent as headmaster of this school, I have never discovered such a thing."

"Oh? Then what is it that I hear from there then?"

He got up and walked towards the bookshelves, sword wand drawn.

"Hey, what are you—"

**Craaassshhh!**

Mr. Colbert's protest was drowned in a loud gust of wind, shattering the wall and bookshelves. The bookshelves and the wall behind it lay in a rubble of stone, wood and paper. An opening could be seen behind the mess, revealing the hidden room.

The rattling of chains striking against the wooden box grew louder. A coffin could be seen shaking inside.

"Well look what we have here... Are you sure you have no hand in this, _headmaster_?"

His minions dragged the coffin out and went back inside the room. Osmond and Mr. Colbert could only look on in disbelief at the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Search every nook and cranny of the hidden room and make sure you don't miss anything! Any clues pertaining to the Staff of Destruction must be obtained!"

They came out no less than five seconds, holding various scrolls containing Osmond's handwriting.

"My, my. What is this? Documentaries of schemes to kidnap her highness and plots of treason against the crown?" Wardes read off the scrolls.

"That's preposterous! What reason does Old Osmond have to do such a thing?" Mr. Colbert nearly lost it. It is now clear to him that the whole thing is just an elaborate plot to incarcerate the principal.

**Rattle.**

The coffin rattle again, as if to remind them of its existence.

"Everything will be revealed once we open this..." Wardes proceeded to remove the chains on the coffin. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, your highness—wait who the hell are you? Where is the princess?"

A white haired boy with pale skin stepped out of the coffin and looked around. The look on the faces of all of them was just priceless. Even Mr. Colbert and Osmond have their mouths hanging open. They were probably expecting to see the princess, not this wild looking kid.

"Oi, oi. Don't you all stare at me like that. Am I really that good looking?"

"What is this... where did you hide the princess?" Wardes looks confused and angry at the same time, his plan ruined.

"Oh, don't worry. A certain maid is taking care of her at the moment. Seriously, it's not like me at all to accept such requests like this... damn women... but now that I have, I might as well enjoy it right? I just hope you lot aren't as boring as the others..."

Wardes's minions moved to surround him, swords drawn.

"You are hereby under arrest on the suspicion of being an accomplice to Fouquet on the kidnapping of Her Highness! Surrender now or face death!"

Accelerator smiled, his face twisting into a sadistic grin. "Interesting! However, let me warn you. Looking is free, but touching is gonna cost you something."

The soldiers rushed at him, swinging their swords.

**Kwaaang! Crassshhh!**

The rebound sent the soldiers to the wall hard enough to knock of a large portion of it. Accelerator expanded his field of reflection from his skin into the surrounding air itself. The massive sphere of reflective air kept growing, knocking everything in its way in an outward direction at high velocity.

Mr. Colbert, knowing Accelerator's power very well, grabbed the headmaster and jumped out the window, directing torrents of flame to the ground to ease their landing.

Wardes is not as lucky. He tried to fight off the growing sphere of destruction with a wind spell of his own, only to find his own spell being reflected back on him. The rebounding force knocked him to the walls by the window, breaking his bones as he penetrated the wall. He fell to the courtyard outside without anything to stop his fall. His spine shattered as his back hit the ground with a resounding crack.

Accelerator jumped down to follow, taking his time to walk towards the broken man.

"What the hell are you?" Accelerator asked, surprised. Wardes's wounds are closing on their own. He was moaning in agony as his bones reattached and repaired themselves. A dark mist seeped out from his body as it happened, extending its tendrils outwards, as if alive.

"Now that's interesting. Looks like you won't die that easily huh?" Accelerator laughed, the sound resembling the cackle of a witch. "Oh this is gonna be so much fun..."

He stomped on Wardes's chest.

**Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Crack Spliisssshhh**

Wardes screamed as every bone in his body disintegrated into bite sized fragments. His skull caved in and pierced his brain, turning is head into a mush of flesh and nerve tissue with sprinkles of white that was his skull. All the muscles and internal organs exploded, releasing a large amount of blood and organic material into the soil.

Mr. Colbert and Osmond could only stare wide eyed at the scene in front of them. It was as if seeing the devil incarnate.

However, the black mist reformed his body once again, restoring his body as it did so.

"Che... How annoying." Accelerator turned away and walked back towards the tower.

Wardes is gasping for air, his body not completely healed. He looked grateful at Accelerator's turned back, thinking that the worst must be over.

Accelerator grinned. Controlling the vectors around his arm, he plunged it into the side of the tower, assimilating himself into it. With a pull, the tower separated itself from the rest of the school. The loud grating of rocks against each other could be heard miles away.

Wardes stared at Accelerator with wide eyes as he kicked the tower, sending it into the air. The gigantic structure turned upside down, the pointed spear on its roof aimed at Wardes. The tower stayed in the air for a few seconds, as if suspended by wire. Accelerator's grin widened as he brought his arm down. The tower raced to the ground, as if propelled by rocket fuel.

"Gyaaaahhh!" Wardes's scream died as thousand tons of stone crashed into him, crushing his body. Parts of the tower crumbled in the process, spraying large slabs of walls and flooring into the courtyard. It stuck out of the ground with half its length buried underneath.

"Hmm... black smoke. Could it be similar to the black wings that Kihara was talking about? Dammit, maybe I shouldn't have killed him." Accelerator sighed, regretting his actions.

_Where is the midget anyways? They couldn't have taken that long to catch up to me now could they?_

As if on cue, Agnes and Louise came into view at the gate. The musketeers' eyes are wide with shock at the scene in front of them.

The main building's side has a gaping hole that stretched its whole length from where Accelerator ripped the tower out of. The tower in question is embedded into the ground in a sea of rubble. People have started coming out of the school, curious at what caused the destruction. Even some students are well enough to walk around and gape at the destruction in front of them.

Louise ignored it and walked very casually to Accelerator. The scene of carnage didn't seem to surprise her in the slightest.

_Good. If she's to stay with me, then she needs to get used to little scuffles such as this as fast as possible._

"Is the princess safe?" Louise asked curtly.

"Who do the hell do you think I am?" Accelerator raised an eyebrow in answer, as if being asked the obvious.

===Break===

_Dammit, what the hell is that kid? Fouquet didn't tell me about this! That dumb bitch... I'm seriously gonna kill her after I repair myself..._

Several feet underground lay chunks of meat and bones. The body is indistinguishable, its features destroyed. The flattened pieces vibrated as black mist came out of them, repairing the damage. The process is slow however, as the willpower of the man dwindled. His consciousness faded and resurfaced at regular intervals.

_At this rate, it will take weeks to fully recover... you brats better wait. I'll make sure you suffer twice my pain before I finally kill you..._

===Break===

A/N:

Sorry if this chapter seems pretty short. Too much stuff happened and I forgot some of the ideas I had on the spot.

My little sister asked me yesterday why I'm so focused on writing for the enjoyment of complete strangers instead of playing with her. I didn't know what to answer since this is more like a hobby for me.

My internship begins this Sunday so I hope to get another chapter out before then. Things will really start to slow down when it starts. I'm excited though since it brings me one step closer to my goals in life.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I thank you all for your continued support.

UglyFingers


	6. You, are the father

A/N:

First of all, I would like to apologize for Accelerator's OOC'ness halfway through the chapter. I believe it was necessary for plot and I don't know of any other way to do it. Lots of character interactions and relationship building. No grand action scenes in this chapter but hopefully that's not all everyone reads this for right?

Anyway, here's chapter 5.

Enjoy.

Chapter 5: "You... are the father."

"Congratulations, Louise Francoise." Princess Henrietta smiled at Louise. Despite being locked in a coffin for half a day, she seems to have recovered quickly. She lost a bit of weight during the past few days, however.

_Hmm... a strong willed woman huh..._ Accelerator thought, amused.

"I really am unworthy of such an honorary title as Chevalier." Louise humbly bowed her head.

"You all achieved something that deserves that title... capturing the thief that had the entire palace up in arms... rescuing me... I should thank you as well, trustworthy familiar." She smiled brightly at Accelerator.

"Hmmph." Accelerator only grunted in response. _Was she being sarcastic?_

He looked out the window of Louise's room at the wreckage outside. The Musketeer Corps have been reduced from royal soldiers to mere relief squads. They can be seen working on the destroyed courtyard, trying to figure out how to clean up the mess. The water mages helped with the recovery of the students in the school. There were still some who are not well enough to walk yet, but the majority have recovered enough to continue classes.

The tower that used to contain the principal's office is still stuck to the ground, bearing an uncanny resemblance to an upside down Leaning Tower of Pisa. Osmond is inside, trying to recover various documents buried in the rubble.

"Answer her properly, familiar! Such disrespect against her highness... I'm really sorry for the behavior of this unrefined brute, your majesty. I'll make sure to punish him properly later." Louise bowed her head once again.

"Tch, she sure didn't look much like a princess when I found her. I guess even royalty can't hold their bladder when locked away like that. I had to bear with the smell of piss inside that box, you know."

Louise gaped at him. "Y—you should be honored to be drenched in her majesty's—" Louise seemed at a loss for words.

"Louise Francoise!" Henrietta nearly screamed. Her face is steaming red. While she was looking at Accelerator with respect a moment before, she is now trying hard not to meet his eyes. An awkward silence started to develop among them...

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'll have you know I don't have such fetishes involving urine..." Accelerator continued.

Henrietta decided it for the best to ignore him and turned to Louise instead. "The recent events have me wondering... How does the people feel about our rule? To think that even the captain of the Griffin Knights is a rebel... I don't know what to believe anymore. Which reminds me, isn't her your fiance, Louise Francoise?"

Louise blushed.

"Ex fiance." She mumbled. She was shocked to hear about Wardes's treachery to frame Osmond for the princess's kidnapping. Longueville also testified that they have been collaborating on the scheme to get rid of the old man. Louise didn't seem to be overly grieved at her fiance's death however, as she was still unsure of her own feelings regarding the arranged marriage. It didn't help at all that Accelerator refers to him as "the pedophile".

Another thing that bothered her is her familiar's unreasonable method of overkill. She has never seen him murder anyone. Whatever the situation may be, he usually ends up merely maiming his opponents or seriously injuring them. Going so far as throwing a tower on someone just seems a bit excessive, even for him.

"You didn't have to throw part of the school on him, you know. I'm pretty sure you could have taken care of him some other way..." Louise trailed off, feeling the weight of her words. 'Some other way' made her remember about what she has seen her familiar done so far. Besides destroying the school and almost killing her classmates, he also single handedly captured the thief and rescued the princess. Although the last two seem like heroic deeds, the methods used to achieve them are quite disturbing.

"Old bastard wouldn't die. I'm sure he's still alive even now." Accelerator said casually.

"What? I'm sure everyone dies when they are killed, Mr. Familiar." Henrietta said slowly.

"What do you mean, familiar?" Louise prodded.

"I mean he just wouldn't die."

Louise narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe you just weren't trying hard enough to kill him?" She offered sarcastically. "Ow! Hey what are you—"

Accelerator gave her another chop to the forehead, interrupting her tirade. Louise's lips curled into a pout, her hands covering her forehead.

Henrietta watched the scene with an amused smile. "I trust that you will continue to take good care of my dear friend." She extended her hand towards Accelerator.

"You should not, princess!" Louise moved between him and Henrietta, shielding her from him. "To allow your hand to such a familiar..."

"To protect you is equal to swearing loyalty to me. There must be something in return for such an oath of loyalty."

Louise moved aside. Accelerator looked at her hand for a moment, wondering just what in the hell they expected him to do.

Louise nudged him to hurry up. Then, realizing how he must not have no clue as to what's going on due to his plebeian background, she whispered in his ear. "To put it bluntly, you can kiss her."

"Haaa? And just why the hell should I?" Accelerator could only think of it as a trap. Never in his life has anyone of the female gender approached him with such intentions so it was a new experience for him. He's never actually thought about romance or the like before as most of his days were either spent running, in hiding, or destroying.

"You idiot! You should be honored that the princess is allowing you this honor! Now hurry up and kiss her!"

_Just how did it come to this...?_

"Pathetic. You think you can force someone to kiss you out of their will just because you're the princess? Why should I kiss someone I don't even like?"

Louise gaped at him. Her lips are moving but no words are coming out.

Henrietta seemed to be having the shock of her life. "Never in my life have I been rejected... and with such cruelty at that..." She mumbled, her face reddening. She gripped her staff tight, as if trying to hold herself back from hitting something.

"Apologize to her highness this instant!" Louise have finally snapped out of her shock and is desperate to salvage the situation. "I am terribly sorry about this. Hey, hurry up and apologize!"

"It's fine, Louise Francoise." Henrietta's voice grew weak. Accelerator's rejection seemed to shake her very core. "It can't be helped right?" She tried to smile at Louise but failed, her face twitching.

"So? What did you come here for? I'm sure a princess wouldn't go out of her way just to congratulate her friend."

"About that... Actually, I have a favor to ask you."

"Please go ahead and ask anything of us. If you tell us to die, I will immediately throw myself out of the window and take this stupid dog with me!" Louise pointed at Accelerator, her kneeling figure bent in shame.

"I would like you two to live in the village for a while."

"In the village?"

"This is a warrant published by the palace." Henrietta handed Louise a scroll tied with a red string.

"You want us to do some spying in the village?" She asked uncertainly.

"I want you to mingle with the people and find out what the people think about royal rule. This recent incident opened my eyes that we may not be doing as well as we thought. It's quite shocking to learn that one of our most trusted soldiers is a traitor... Therefore, I would like you to investigate how the public thinks of us in secret. It will be a very difficult job..."

"Well understood, princess! I will make sure to get this job done as if my life depended on it!" Louise is literally jumping with enthusiasm, no doubt thinking about the praise she will get after the job is done.

Accelerator sighed. He should be used to getting dragged around by midgets by now but he still would like to avoid it if he can. Many things happened out of his control that involved him stepping in and providing assistance to ever since his resurrection. But he just can't seem to leave the pink haired midget alone. She will surely get involved in something big again if no one keeps an eye on her.

===Break===

Accelerator headed down to the kitchen after Henrietta finished giving him and Louise their assignment. If they were to spend more than a week living like a commoner, then they would no doubt run out of money fast. Louise isn't exactly well versed in living the life of a poor person. This was evident went they were living together in the shack in the forest. She would constantly complain about everything and it took all of Accelerator's patience just to keep himself from ripping her tongue out.

"I don't mean to be nosy but... what are you planning to do with all this food?" The chef asked Accelerator. He had been more than glad to help the one who put the nobles in their place a few days ago. The brats annoys him like no other and it made him happy that someone finally gave them what they deserve.

Accelerator ignored the chef's question and focused on packing as much loaves of bread, pastries, dried meat, and dried fruits into a sack.

"There is a maid here that owes me a favor... Short, dark hair—"

"You mean Siesta?" The heavily muscled chef rubbed his chin, looking concerned. "She quit. A noble came storming in this morning to Old Osmond and demanded why they haven't handed her over yet as he personally requested her to work at his place days ago. He was quite furious at the delay. She was picked up and taken away this morning."

"So she thinks she can run away without paying back her debt huh..."

"It's not that. In the end, peasants can do nothing but obey every word of the nobles. Now work, back to work.." The heavily muscled man turned away, heading back to his battlefield of boiling pots and sizzling pans.

Accelerator highly doubts that the maid would follow the noble that easily. The maid's manipulation techniques were top notch. He highly doubts anyone can make her go where she doesn't want to go. He was surprised into accepting her request by the sudden change in her character. The timid girl can be very... scary.

He finished and tied up the sack. Louise must be looking for him by now and without a doubt, furious.

===Break===

"And...? What do you have to say for yourself?" Accelerator glared down at Louise, his scary expression darker than usual. A dark cloud of anger seemed to emanate from him.

The midget shrank lower to the ground. Despite her mistake, she still feels that her actions are justified. She stared back defiantly at him, determined to prove her point despite being intimidated.

"I—I just thought I'd get us more money—"

"By gambling it all?" Accelerator's calm face scares Louise more than his blood thirsty one. She could at least tell what he's about to do when he enters crazy mode...

"But they said I'd end up with more for sure..."

"This is why brats are so..." Accelerator double face palmed. When the fail is so strong, one face palm is just not enough.

"Shut up. I'm thinking of what we should do from here."

"It's almost pitiful how you could want so much. Being a spoiled brat must have been quite the life huh?"

"It's because I need them." Louise got up and looked around, her face set in a determined scowl. They were sitting on a fountain in the middle of town. The shops are already closing as the day is ending. With the sun so low in the sky, they have another thing to worry about: lodgings.

"I'm hungry." Louise moaned. Despite all the food that Accelerator packed before leaving, they are down to half a loaf of bread and one piece of dried meat. He doesn't eat much himself but Louise could be a surprisingly heavy eater when frustrated.

Accelerator threw the piece of meat at her and hit...

"Tres bien! Such a beautiful face! You shouldn't throw food at such a cute young lady!" The newcomer picked the piece of meat from where it struck his face and ate it. "Mmm, mmm. Delicious. From the looks of it, you seem to be in some sort of trouble. Bonjour!" He started shaking his hips and flapping his arms in what looked like a disturbing sort of dance.

The two could only gape at him. Even with all the weird personalities they've encountered so far, this one takes the cake.

The man is tall with a very masculine figure,

a mustache and goatee,

large, red lips,

short shorts that exposed his thighs...

pink shirt that's too small for him...

"As you can obviously see, I'm no one suspicious at all!" He continued his dance, shaking his hips in what would be considered an erotic way if he were a woman. The effect was quite disturbing however.

_No, better to say you are, from the looks of it..._

"I am Scarron and I run the tavern just up ahead!"

"A tavern?" Louise asked, suspicious.

"Yes, a tavern! Would you like me to furnish you two with one of our rooms?"

"Only if you don't mind letting us stay for free."

"Tres bien! I only have one condition..."

Louise nodded to Accelerator. He nodded back, already formulating a story in case they were asked.

===Break===

"Now, good news my fairies," Scarron faced the girls. They are all wearing rather cute, provocative clothes that exposed their legs and lots of bare skin. "I have someone new joining us today at the Enchanting Fairy Inn. Louise come on in!"

Louise came out wearing a strapless, frilly white dress with a short hem. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and decorated with white headwear. Scarron dragged her in front of the girls to introduce her.

"Louise is a poor little girl who ran away with her... er..." Scarron hesitated, looking confused.

"Father." Accelerator finished for him. He came out and patted Louise's head, messing up her hair.

"...father after her mother tried to feed her off to the orcs as punishment..."

"Oh, you poor thing!" The girls chorused sympathetically.

"What a young father!"

"How old were you when you had her?"

"But he looks so young..."

"Hey did your hair turn white from taking care of her as a child?"

Louise's face twitched. _I knew this wouldn't work. We don't even look alike! I shouldn't have let the stupid familiar handle it..._

A girl scurried to them from the back room, trying to see what the fuss is about. Her long, dark hair is tied with a piece of cloth. Unlike the other workers, she is wearing a less revealing green dress that exposes the cleavage of her rather huge breasts. Large, curious eyes regarded Louise and Accelerator with suspicion.

"Hey, you two aren't really father and daughter, are you?" She asked, her thirst for gossip shining through.

"Jessica!" Scarron gave her a stern look. It doesn't have any effect however, as he doesn't have a shred of seriousness to back it up.

Accelerator sighed. "Looks like they found us out." He turned to Louise. "I guess we really should tell them who we are. Prevents problems in the future."

"W—what? No!"

"You see folks, I am not her real father." Accelerator adopted a sorrowful tone, maintaining his expressionless face. _Now let's see just how well I can manipulate these people. That maid made it look so easy..._

"I know that."

"Now my daughter, don't we have a rule not to poke around our worker's background?" Scarron tried to hold back Jessica but he seemed interested as well.

_Perfect._

Louise shivered. The gleam in her familiar's eye is the same as when he's about to enter his berserk mode...

"Even though I'm not her father, I see her as family. You see, she was abandoned in front of my shack on a dark, stormy night when she was just a baby. Feeling sorry for the crying brat, I took her in. I was only six then and I ended up raising her myself, feeling a strange sort of bond with someone who was thrown away by her parents... just like me... Though I guess I did spoiled her quite a bit... It was enough that only I experience the hardship... Without parents to support us, we wandered from village to village, looking for work and hoping by some miracle to find our long lost parents... and that's how we came here."

"Tres bien!" Scarron gave Louise a bone crushing hug. The rest of the crew were wiping tears from their eyes, touched by the story.

"S—such a tale! I'm sorry I asked... hic... I must have reminded you of painful things..." Jessica blew her nose on her sleeve and wiped her eyes.

Accelerator gave them a sad smile. _So far so good. Who would've thought the "Door in the face" trick would work here? Offer someone an outrageous deal and of course they'll reject it. But if you offer them a more reasonable offer afterward, they are more willing to accept... Now let's see how far I can take this._

Louise stared at her familiar. Behind his mask, she could see that he is thoroughly enjoying this. Scarron gave her another kiss before she pulled away, gasping for air.

"Don't worry about it," Accelerator continued. "It seems that after all this searching, it seems we have been finally granted our miracle."

"You found your parents?" Jessica exclaimed.

"Yes," Accelerator's smile widened. His true nature on the verge of showing through. "In fact, he is in this room right now, Louise's father that is." An loud gasp resonated in the room. Accelerator pointed at Scarron and said. "You... are the father."

Scarron fainted, his brain unable to bear the shock of what he was just told. The girls' mouths were hanging open, their minds trying to wrap around the idea of just how in the hell Scarron can have a daughter. They have been told that Jessica is Scarron's daughter but they never believed it for a minute.

The look on Louise's face is just as priceless. Accelerator have done incredulous things in the past but this is on a whole another level! Louise attempted to fix her expression, but failed. Scarron's daughter on the other hand, took this as a sign of joy and hugged her, burying the midget's face in her cleavage.

"To think I had such a cute, long lost little sister all this time..." She sobbed into Louise's hair.

_Idiots. No wonder the maid was able to develop such a skill... _Accelerator thought, hiding his amusement. _Looks like I won't be bored for a while_

===Break===

"So you two have been together since you were little?" Jessica asked, her eyes shining.

Accelerator handed her a plate with his left while spinning another in his right to dry. Jessica have been firing question after question at him in rapid succession. He ignored most of them, only answering what seemed to be strategically advantageous.

"Yes. She was so obsessed with nobles since she was young that she started acting like one. Even her pride is on par with theirs. Honestly, I'm starting to have doubts about the way I raised her... but you know, when you have someone that important to you, you'll just want to give them the best in life right?"

Jessica nodded in understanding. She filled the plate with food from the boiling pots in the stove behind her.

"So how did you know that Louise is his daughter?"

"It was a woman who left Louise in my care. Scarron seems to be quite the lady's man back in the day. I bet he hasn't told you just how many women he went out with right?" Jessica's eyes widened at the revelation. Her father have never told her about his past and she would never have guessed that he was such a person. "Anyway, within the baby's wrappings was a small note that described Scarron... though I never would have guessed he would turn out like this... He seems so different from the description that I didn't recognize him at first."

He glanced over at Scarron. The man in question is invading an annoying customer's privacy for trying to grope one of the waitresses. The method is very effective as with no guards to protect them, the workers suffered through constant harassment from the customers. The customers in turn, immediately flee the place to escape.

Louise could be seen stumbling, trying to carry a tray to one of the tables.

**Crassshh.**

The midget tripped, spilling the tray's contents all over the floor.

"I'm sorry!"

"Tres bien! Please forgive her, dear customer. She's new here so she's still learning the ropes." Scarron apologized to the man, wiping his stained shirt with a napkin.

"As you can see, she has no experience." Accelerator commented to Jessica who is now on her way back from delivering the food.

"You got that right... We would have let you guys stay for free you know. It's the least we could do to pay back for my father abandoning you all these years."

Accelerator flinched. _Is this guilt? _

Scarron had given them a room in the second floor of the inn, though only Accelerator slept in it that night. Louise was dragged off by Jessica and Scarron to their room to... catch up and establish bonds through... skinship.

Louise had given him a glare that said, "I'll kill you for this!" as she was swung over Scarron's shoulder and hauled away like a sack.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about us. We would feel bad for freeloading on someone as kind as you."

"Oh you!" Jessica laughed and hit him playfully with the ladle.

**Clang!**

"Eh? What was that?" Jessica gasped in surprise as the ladle hit the wall and broke.

"Ah... sorry about that. Did I forget to say that I was once possessed by a ghost? Every time something hits me like that, the evil spirit seemed to knock it back in the other direction."

_Ghost? What the fuck is wrong with me? Did I just say something as unscientific as that?_

Jessica backed away, fear showing in her eye.

"Ghost?"

"Oh, don't worry. I have it under control most of the time. It shouldn't come out when the situation isn't dangerous." Accelerator's face turned sorrowful. "Although it was painful at first. It was as if there is another person inside of me, always hungry for blood and vengeance. Sometimes it would go out of control and kill everyone around me. I was labeled a monster and kicked out of many villages because of it."

"Does Louise know?" Jessica put a hand over her mouth, a classic way of expressing shock.

"No."

"I see you must be carrying a heavier burden than we thought all by yourself for all these years... But now that you're here, you wouldn't have to bear it alone anymore, right?"

Jessica hugged his arm into her chest and laid her head on his shoulder. "Say... what do you say you become part of our family for real? You know... I mean we're at the right age and..." Her voice trailed off, her face reddening as she spoke. "I wouldn't mind if it was you... Kyaa! What are you making me say?" She slapped her face and turned away, going back to work. "Well, please think about it for now. I look forward to your answer." She gave him one last smile and glided away, her heart thumping.

Accelerator is panicking. He has kept his expression neutral throughout her proposal but his thoughts are in complete disarray.

_The hell is this? Did I suddenly gain the ability to attract the opposite sex after I came back to life? Tch, how annoying..._

===Break===

"Explain yourself, familiar." Louise ordered.

Accelerator raised an eyebrow. "Haaa?"

"Don't play dumb with me! First you told them I'm your daughter, then you told them my father is that... that... that thing!" Louise is shaking her arms in fury. Accelerator seemed to be having the time of his life. The midget's expressions and mannerisms are adorably funny. It helps relieve his boredom since there really is nothing to do in this world he was sent to. Back in Academy City, the amount of work he had to do seemed endless. Many pieces of trash came to him so there was never a moment of boredom. Although it became tedious after a while since the opponents are so weak, there are times when someone interesting turns up... like a certain idiot and his right hand.

"I wonder how 'that thing' feels after hearing his daughter say such a thing. He has feelings too, you know."

"Shut up! I'm not that thing's daughter!" Louise is practically screaming now. Dark clouds of murderous intent hangs over her small, raging figure. "How did you know about his past anyway?"

"I don't."

"What? You mean to tell me you just guessed and miraculously got it right?"

"Of course. He gives off the same feeling as the blonde that I trashed in your room."

"Guiche? … You mean he will turn into 'that' someday?" The switch in Louise's mood is instantaneous as always. She fell on the floor laughing, clutching her sides. The image of Guiche as a middle aged man acting in such a way remained in Louise's mind. The sheer absurdity of it had her laughing for nearly thirty minutes.

"That was a good one fa—" Louise smiled as she looked back at her familiar. He has fallen asleep while she was laughing. Despite herself, she felt a deep affection for him. His sleeping face looks so peaceful, carrying none of his worldly worries in the realm of dreams.

If only she knew.

===Break===

Accelerator's barrage of curses and vulgarities was lost in the vast expanse of the Sanzen River. He didn't care if he wakes the dead. His day was just so ridiculous that he needed an outlet for the pent up frustration. Being unable to speak in his usual manner stressed him greatly. He wondered just how long he could last in such a friendly environment before he starts cursing the heavens.

"You'll attract the dead."

Accelerator turned towards the intruder. His boat shook slightly as he shifted his weight, the chain attached to his chest rattling in response. To his surprise, the dark haired girl is not wearing her usual kimono. She is in what looked like a black sailor uniform, her red eyes regarding him coolly. Accelerator hated to admit it but the girl is very beautiful. If she were to grow into an adult, she would no doubt be stunning.

_Oi, oi... Did I also gain an affinity for little brats as well?_

"Shouldn't you be doing your job?" Accelerator pointed at the distance, to the spot where he would usually see the girl ferrying souls to hell.

"No requests for two days." The girl answered him with an emotionless voice.

_Well at least she seems more talkative than the dragon's brat..._

"So... that old man called you 'ojou'..."

"My name is Enma Ai."

"I don't know why you are interested in me nor do I care but let me tell you now. If you think you can manipulate me like those old bastards in Academy City, then you'd better forget it."

"It's pointless to fight fate." The girl stood up and vanished, leaving Accelerator to mull over her words in solitude.

===Break===

"Do you remember what she looks like? Louise's mother I mean." Scarron asked, rubbing his goatee thoughtfully.

"Was a long time ago, old man. Didn't even see her face..."

"Hmmm... pink hair, pink hair..."

"Don't worry about it. You got customers waiting." Accelerator pointed at the entrance. Many people are accumulating, waiting to be shown to their seats.

Jessica arrived with more dishes. "Seriously, what's up with the people lately? Ever since you and Louise arrived, there was a large increase in customers. Not that I'm complaining..." Her eyes sparkled brighter than gold.

People have apparently heard of the new addition to the staff of the Enchanting Fairy Inn. Louise's reputation as a clumsy, yet adorable but small and flat, waitress who has a high amount of pride have reached many people. Some even say that the experience was almost like being served by a noble. The people, who have always served nobles throughout their life, came in hoards.

"Bunch of pedophiles." Accelerator muttered. _But this should give her a chance to know what most people's opinions are right?_

The influx of people started slowing down as afternoon arrived. All the tables are still full however, but the workload decreased enough for Accelerator to get a break. He sat in the front, observing the people work around him. The "fairies" as Scarron called them seemed to enjoy their jobs. The people who came all left satisfied. Louise alone is not fitting in...

**Bam!**

The door burst open, revealing a fat man accompanied by guards. Accelerator instantly categorized him as a noble. The arrogant attitude is enough of a hint to reveal his status.

"Ahem."

"My, my, if it isn't Lord Chelenne." Scarron skipped towards the fat man. "It is nice to see you come all the way out here."

"It looks like you have been quite prosperous."

"Oh no! Today is just coincidence." The "fairies" all looked terrified, as if a wolf have been unleashed onto them. "Usually, we'd be so empty, you could hear a cuckoo cry."

"Enough with the excuses! I have come here today as a customer."

"Unfortunately, all the seats are taken right now." Scarron is sweating despite his pleasant tone.

"It doesn't seem that way to me." He snapped his fingers and his guards brought out their muskets. The customers, sensing trouble brewing, got up and left... except for one.

"Come on is there no one to serve the royal queen's levy collector?" He bellowed.

"And who would want to serve a fat fuck like you?"

"What was that? I must be hearing things. Surely this peasant didn't just insult me?" He walked over to Accelerator's table, dragging his men with him. Accelerator ignored him and drank his coffee. The atmosphere became strained. "Fairies" as well as Scarron and Jessica are holding their hands over their mouths in shock. Louise is shaking her head, knowing what's about to happen.

A vein popped on Chelenne's forehead as Accelerator ignored him. People usually prostrate themselves to him the moment he meets their gaze.

"You have to forgive him, he's not used to being around nobles..." Louise stood between the fat man and Accelerator, hoping to prevent bloodshed before it starts.

"What is this? A staff of the inn dare stand up to her royal highness' official? Wonder how much I'll have to increase their taxes this month."

"Oi, pig. Don't get the wrong idea here. She's protecting you, not me."

Chelenne laughed. "A noble needs protecting from a peasant?" He asked incredulously. "You'll have to wait till pigs fly!"

Accelerator stood up and pushed Louise out of the way, his face turning into that of a madman. Louise flew to Scarron. She knows there's nothing to stop him now...

"When pigs fly? I see one flying right now."

"What was that? I don't see any—"

**Craassshh.**

"Kyaaa!" The girls screamed.

Accelerator looked at his work of art with a devilish grin. The fat man's hundreds of pounds of fat hangs from the ceiling, his head penetrating it and breaking through to the second floor.

"Y—you bastard! What have you done!" The guards surrounded him, guns at the ready.

"No! You shouldn't provoke him! You'll wake up the ghost!" Jessica screamed, her face filled with worry for Accelerator.

"Ghost?" The room echoed.

Accelerator laughed. "Ghost? Haa... that's just too funny..."

"Fire!"

The sound of gunshot filled the air, followed by men's cry of agony as the bullets bounced back, hitting their vitals. Accelerator turned back to Chelenne, his grin widening even further.

Parts of the ceiling collapsed as Accelerator pulled him down, scattering dust.

"Wake up." He slapped him a few times until the fat man stirred.

"Y—you bastard! Do you know what you've done—aaaarrghh!"

The fat man vomited a sea of red and yellow. Fatty tissue mixed with blood forced their way into his stomach, puncturing it. Blood mixed with mass of fat and came out of his mouth.

The girls screamed. Scarron is looking at Accelerator as if he has just found out his best friend is actually Hitler. Jessica ran up to Accelerator and hugged his back. "Please fight it! Don't let it control you!" She cried.

Chelenne grew thinner each time he vomited. Loose skin drooped, the fat supporting them gone. After he vomited a few more times, he looked like he just had a full body liposuction.

"W—what did you just do to me?"

Accelerator grabbed his face in his hands and slammed it on the floor. Blood gushed out of his face as his nose broke. "Keep talking and your balls are next."

Chelenne is crying, too terrified to speak. Accelerator shook off Jessica and headed out the door, dragging the broken lump of meat behind him.

===Break===

A large crowd gathered around the fountain in the middle of town. Many of the business owners have dreamed of this day. The tax collector's reign of terror is over. He is tied shamefully to a pole that had been stabbed to the ground. The white haired young man next to him tapped him on the shoulder, shattering his entire arm in a series of cracks.

"Speak." He ordered coldly.

"I—I'm sorry for being an annoying pig to you all..."

The crowd gasped, not knowing how to react. They know that if they show their joy now, an even bigger disaster will fall upon them.

"Oi, oi. The man just apologized didn't he? Are you bastards so cruel as to not forgive someone who's begging for forgiveness?"

The people looked at one another. Forgive him? When he has been hounding them with his cruelty for such a long time?

"What's all this? I came out of my mansion to see what got the people so excited and all I see is a noble being abused by a peasant? What is this country coming to? If the commoners can't even understand their place, then we must surely be doomed."

The noble's guards opened up a path through the crowd. He strode up to Accelerator, his face showing disgust.

"It's Count Mott! What's he doing here?" The people grew restless. If a nobleman were to get serious, none of them would escape unscathed. With a nod to each other, they dispersed, hiding from view but still watching the scene unfolding in front of them.

"I am known as Mott the Surge, a triangle class mage. I have never seen a peasant as foolish as you. You really think you can do this to the nobility of this nation and get away with it?"

"Yes."

"Hmmph. How foolish." He turned to his guards. "Show him what happens to people who don't know their place!"

The guards advanced, their spears at the ready.

Accelerator sighed. _How boring._

He kicked the ground, accelerating past the guards and hitting the Count with an uppercut. The nobleman flew into the air, rising hundreds of meters into the sky. He fell to the ground with a thud, dead. The guards looked at one another and walked away. No point in giving up their lives for a dead man who won't be able to pay them for their work.

"Familiar." Louise came out of hiding, her face set in a stern manner. "Do you have to kill every other person you see?"

"Tch... let's go. Our job is done."

"No! You can't!" Jessica hugged him. "No matter what you become when possessed by the evil spirit, to me you will always be the gentle, loving person who cares for his family. Let's fight it together, you and me..."

Accelerator pushed her away. Louise just looked at them in confusion, unable to comprehend their actions.

"Umm... since we've already found my family... I guess I should help him find his...?" She suggested.

"I... I see...but are we not enough? I'm sure we could love you just as much..."

"No."

"Well... if that's really how you feel... I guess I can't stop you... but promise to come visit once in a while okay? I'll be waiting... The Enchanting Fairy Inn will always be open for you..." She forced a smile through her tears.

Louise waved goodbye, walking next to Accelerator with the setting sun behind them.

"You're evil... making a girl cry." She commented.

"You just noticed?"

===Break===

A few days later.

"Hey, did you hear? A white haired peasant killed two nobles just the other day."

"Standing up to the nobles, what will happen to us now?"

"But hey, doesn't that make you wonder? If he can do it, then maybe we can too..."

"Shhh! They might hear you."

"Anyway, I heard that he was very strong and cool and handsome.."

"Really? But isn't he too old? How old do you have to be for your hair to turn white anyway?"

"I heard he was so tough that underneath his beard, there is no chin, just another fist."

The girls laughed. Ever since the murder of the two nobles, the royal palace had been in an uproar. Many people testified of the nobility's wrongdoings but they were ignored. It wasn't until the princess herself declared the two's death as a benefit to the nation that the commotion died down.

Rumors of the white haired hero circulated to other villages as well, exaggerating into epic proportions. In no time at all, his existence have been turned into something of a legend among the commoners. The titles they have given him scared the nobles from abusing the peasants.

The Rebel.

The Noble Killer.

The White Spirit.

The White Demon.

===Break===

Mice darted in and out of the holes in the wall.

The prisoner shuddered, sensing a strong presence of evil permeate the cold, dark prison. Is death coming for her? She adjusted her eye patch, feeling the spot where her eye used to be. It aches in the cold, sending shocks to her brain as it did.

"Who's there?"

A shadow materialized on the other side of the bars, its formless shape flickering in and out of existence. Red, glowing eyes regarded her with hunger.

"Wha—"

Her screams died as the shadow turned into mist and entered her body through every orifice. The prisoner shook violently until the process was done. Red eyes glowed in the darkness, showing through the eye patch.

The prisoner stood up, the new entity inside her screaming with joy.

It was right to come here after all. This new body will do just fine.

===Break===

A/N:

Longest. Chapter. Written. Yet.

I'm exhausted.

Next chapter: Derflinger


	7. Oh that, he died

A/N:

I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I'm quite busy but I'll at least try to write one chapter a week. If I am unable to do so, please forgive me.

Minor reference to a certain visual novel in this chapter. If you have never heard of it before, then you are missing out on a lot.

Expect the unexpected. Enjoy.

Chapter 6: "Oh that, he died."

"Fire, earth, water, and wind. By combining several of those four elements, one can create a stronger spell with a different effect, and our levels as mages correspond to the number of elements we can combine. Just what are these levels?" The teacher asked.

It was the day after Louise returned from her spy mission. Classes have resumed as all of the students have already recovered to attend. Agnes and her troops are off duty as the princess wanted to spend a few more days at the Academy. They can be seen training their swordsmanship in the courtyard which has been restored to its former glory.

"Yes, teacher." Montmorency raised her hand confidently.

"Proceed."

"If you can combine two, you are a line. Three, a triangle. Four, a square."

"Excellent. I believe that most of you can use one but..."

"Mrs. Chevruse, may I remind you that there is one here that is still unable to use one without a success rate of zero?" Kirche spoke up, causing everyone to turn and stare at Louise. The midget paid them no attention, instead focusing on taking notes.

"But isn't it just a waste to keep teaching her? We all know she'll never reach dot level anyways."

"A year of nothing but failure..."

"I guess coming from a good family doesn't mean there aren't bad apples..."

"But to not even reach dot level after all this time? She must surely be an idiot."

"And that's why she's a zero."

"Her familiar is scary too! Just what in the Founder's name is that monster?"

"That's right! And besides, what kind of summon was that? Didn't she just pay someone off the streets to act as her familiar?"

"Oi, brats, don't talk about me as if I'm not here."

Cries of surprise rang throughout the room as Accelerator seemed to materialize out of thin air beside Louise. Unknown to them, he was there the entire time, turning the vectors of light around him and making himself invisible. He gave them a wide grin and turned to Louise.

"So this is what they all say about you eh? No wonder your chest never got any bigger."

"W—what's that got to do with anything?"

Accelerator watched her rant at him with amusement. It had become one of his hobbies to fight off boredom to watch the little girl's reactions as he teased her.

_What the hell happened to me? Getting attached to the brat.. tch, this isn't like me at all._

He ignored her and faced the others, who are slowly backing away and knocking their chairs over, trying to put as much distance between him and themselves as possible. Fear of the man's unknown ability showed in their eyes. Even the teacher, Mrs. Chevruse looked at him as if seeing a ghost. Only Tabitha and Kirche didn't seem scared, though they were surprised to see him pop out so suddenly.

"What, we haven't seen each other for a long time and not even a word of welcome? Looks like you all need another lesson." He got up and walked towards them menacingly. The brats shook in their seats. Some even pissed themselves. Girls and even some boys are crying.

"Ms. Valliere! I understand that you may hold grudges but this is borderline terrorism! Please stop your familiar right now!" The teacher shook as she spoke.

"And why should I? Do you all know how I felt through a year of bullying and torment? ...Trying my best while under the pressure of my peers' gloating and insults at my failures... How could I even begin to start to forgive... After all the humiliation, the name calling, the harassment..." Her voice cracked, all the pent up emotions seeping out. "You are all not human, much less nobles. If all the nobles are like this, then just what kind of image are we showing the peasants? Do you know that sometimes, I would even think about killing myself just to end it all, seeing as my whole life will only consist of pure failure?" She was nearly crying now, her voice shook as tears started to build on the corners of her eyes.

Her classmates look less frightened and more apologetic as she went on, guilt striking them at the core. Is this what happens when you drive someone to the point of madness?

"We—we're sorry Louise. We just couldn't help..." Kirche began. She too seemed to have been shaken by Louise's words. It had also been her who criticized Louise the most.

"You think just apologizing will make me forget all your jeers and contempt that I've had to bear for a long time? Have you finally come to your senses that maybe the person you have been making fun of all this time is actually hiding her suffering inside and facing life's challenges head on while feeling as if the whole world is against her? Does it take a genius to figure out that what you're doing is hurting someone's feelings?"

"Ms. Valliere..." The teacher sobbed into her robes. "I—I'm sorry... we knew about this and yet we pretended to be blind to all that's been happening. To be honest... we also thought you were a lost cause... and … and …. we're really sorry."

"Well I'm sorry but it's too late..." She smiled a sorrowful, tearful smile. "I have already made up my mind to say good bye to this cruel world." And with a final wave, she go up and left the room, heading to the rooftop.

"Wait, no! Someone stop her! She's going to kill herself!" Chairs were pushed out of the way and tables were turned over as everyone in the room exited, following Louise.

In no time at all, the room was void of life... except two.

"And with this, looks like we're even now, Mr. Familiar." The maid came out of the shadows, amused at the commotion that her work has caused.

"Tch... don't expect me to thank you for writing such a boring script."

"Ara, why don't you just be honest with yourself? You enjoyed it too didn't you? See? We're so much alike. But still... I was quite surprised you asked me to repay my favor to you to help Ms. Valliere. I would have thought you'd ask something that would benefit yourself more... Maybe you have started to develop feelings for her?"

"Bullshit."

The maid giggled. "Still... that went quite well didn't it?"

"Hmpf. It was luck."

"I agree. Aren't we lucky that Ms. Valliere had such talent for acting? It wouldn't have gone as well as planned otherwise."

"Heh. She didn't look like she was acting."

"And that's why she's a natural."

Accelerator eyed her warily. The maid just gives off a scary feeling that Accelerator still can't put into words.

"Why are you here anyways? Weren't you called by some noble to become his personal maid?"

"Oh, that. He died." She said simply.

Accelerator shuddered. There is no doubt in his mind that the maid herself killed her master and got away with it. _Just how the hell can she talk about killing someone as if it was nothing? Normally people would be having nightmares after their first few kills right? Damn, this girl must be more cold blooded than I thought._

===Break===

A crowd gathered on the tallest tower's balcony. Murmurs of concern ran through the group. Teachers have even canceled classes to prevent what's about to happen next. Even the Musketeer Corps are helping, trying to negotiate with the midget to change her mind.

"Don't get any closer! If you do, I'll blow my head off!" Louise pointed her wand at her temples, he face drenched with tears.

"Mr. Colbert, we must subdue her at once! We cannot let a suicide happen under our watch. It would stain our name for eternity!"

"But what do you propose me do, headmaster?" Mr. Colbert's usually shining bald head seemed to dull as his face twisted with worry. Even Old Osmond seemed to have trouble keeping his wits.

"I'm sorry Louise! I promise not to call you 'Zero' ever again, so please... stop this..." Kirche's usually composed and confident face was now smeared with tears. She feels the most guilty about the midget's sudden change in behavior. She pleaded at her, hoping to change her mind.

"It's fine already Kirche. I know how much you hate me... You don't need to force yourself to say something you don't mean."

"No no no no no! You misunderstood me Louise!"

"You say something too!" Montmorency elbowed Guiche. Even if she considers Louise a love rival, she still doesn't want to see anyone die.

"I'm sorry as well." Guiche's usual pompous attitude is replaced with a mixture of worry and guilt. "I know life may be hard for someone like you who could never achieve anything, but won't you at least wait until you've lost your virginity?"

"Guiche!" Everyone turned to the clueless blonde. If Louise were to die, a unanimous decision was made to pour all the blame on him.

Something inside Louise snapped, however she kept her pained smile as she turned her back on them. It would destroy the mood that she worked so hard to build if she were to beat the shit out of him now.

And with a final wave, she jumped off the balcony.

===Break===

Louise fell.

She was honestly scared stiff as the ground loomed closer and closer, the wind mercilessly tearing through her tiny figure. It felt as if the an eternity passed by before she hit the ground with a loud thump, falling unconscious as she did so.

_Did I actually die? Stupid familiar... I'm gonna kill him if he really let me get killed..._

===Break===

Sounds of sloppy, wet sobs stirred her into consciousness. People are crying... For her?... No, it can't be...

Louise opened her eyes. Staring back at her were wide, tearful eyes. She vaguely recognized the surrounding that told her she's in the medical ward. A large group of students were around her. Kirche and Princess Henrietta were at the edge of her bed, drenched with tears.

"L—Louise! You're awake!" A sigh of relief went through the crowd. "Y—you idiot... scaring us like that? Do you know how we would feel if you died? I—I'm sorry I was so mean... I swear I'll never do it again..."

"Kirche... and her highness?"

"Louise Francoise! I—I'm sorry I didn't know what you were going through all this time and to think I still dared to call myself your friend... hic... I was only thinking of myself... giving you an unreasonable job, not knowing that you were hurting inside... I don't deserve to be a princess!" The princess burst into another fit of sobs. Everyone seemed relieved. It has been almost a day since she was found miraculously alive on the grounds. She had been lucky to have gotten only a few fractures from falling hundreds of meters. It was truly a miracle.

Louise felt a stab of guilt as she watched her childhood friend crying. Strengthening her resolve, she patted her on the head. "Don't worry about me your highness. It is not your fault and I doubt my existence is so important as to show such weakness in front of your people. Now please... lift up your head... you're not the only one who feels sad when their friend is in tears."

"Now that that's settled, I sincerely hope you not try to do something as foolish in the future, Ms. Valliere. Life is short so try to make the best of it while you're young. I'm sure good fortune will befall upon you someday."

And with that, Old Osmond gathered the remaining spectators and ushered them out of the room, leaving the still weeping Henrietta and Kirche by her side. Tabitha stayed as well, sitting in a chair on the side reading her book and paying the scene no attention.

"You brats done yet? It's seriously disgusting seeing this kind of mushy nonsense." Accelerator showed himself, enjoying the look of shock on their faces as he let the vectors of light strike him once again. Henrietta is clutching her mouth, eyes wide as saucers.

"G—ghost!"

"Familiar! Don't do that to her highness! I am deeply sorry about this, your royal majesty. And you! Stop doing that! Apologize right now!"

"It's fine Louise Francoise... please don't strain yourself for my sake. It was a miracle that you are still alive and so we should be grateful."

_Like hell it was a miracle. _Accelerator thought. It had been him who had cushioned her fall by subtly changing the vectors in the air around her landing area. It was quite easy to hide his presence as he did his work. The new trick that he had been working on had been very helpful in concealing his presence. Thought it still didn't sit right with him to always be hiding. The strongest never hide from his enemies.

He had first thought of the idea after playing a game that Yoshikawa brought home one day. The former researcher was asked to work on the project after Yomikawa introduced her to the creators of the game. The game was called Flake/Slay Knight. It is a visual novel in which seven magi fought for an ancient relic that can grant wishes. Accelerator thought the game was good in its own way and it kept him and Last Order from the streets for a good three days, addicted. The setting and characters were engaging in their own right. Each have their own history and motivations to fight. Although a certain blonde swordswoman annoyed him quite a bit with her foolish ideals. She tried her hardest to be a rightful king, trying to be just and good to her people and yet her kingdom fell in the end, her most trusted people betraying her. Her righteous attitude was just disgusting. Accelerator thought about a book he once read by Machiavelli while in hiding. It described how a good mixture of benevolence and ruthlessness needs to be used to rule a country. Using too much of either one will lead to your ruin. He just so desperately wanted to shove the book in her face throughout the game. Who the hell was dumb enough to choose a nation's ruler by pulling a sword from a stone anyway?

What awed him the most however, was the sheer epicness of the Heroic Spirits called upon by the Holy Grail to serve the magi. Even he would have trouble fighting one of those. Out of the many weird and wonderful techniques used by them, the ability to turn into spirit form and materialize at will was the one skill that he found the most intriguing. Although it was the most mundane skill out of them all, it reminded him of the time when he was still a naïve little brat. There are times when he just wished to be able to do just that back in his childhood... memories of being outcasted by everyone making him feel lonely to the point that he just wished he'd just disappear. In time however, he discarded those thoughts, instead focusing all his efforts into becoming stronger.

To become the strongest.

Thinking back on it now caused a wave of nostalgia to pass over him like a gentle breeze. He smiled. Those were indeed the days.

"What are you smirking at? Apologize right now!" The midget's voice brought him back to the present.

_Right... There is no guarantee that I'll ever make it back is there?_

"Where were you anyway? Louise could have died you know? A familiar who couldn't be by their master's side at times of need is worse than useless." Kirche chimed in, attempting to put part of the blame on Accelerator for Louise's near death experience.

Accelerator gave her a chop to the forehead, causing her to gawk at him in shock.

"What do you think you're—ow ow owowow!" A bump is slowly forming on her forehead from Accelerator's precise hits. She looked at him with disdain and quieted down.

"Shut it."

For a brief moment, Accelerator saw something weird flash in her eyes and noticed that she had started to sweat. Kirche started to fan herself and loosened her shirt. A large portion of her breasts popped out from underneath the low neckline.

_The hell is she doing?_

"Are you a ghost?" Henrietta asked. She still has not gotten over the shock of seeing him suddenly pop out of thin air.

"Yes."

**Crash.**

They all turned toward Tabitha. The blue haired midget had fallen out of her chair. Her small figure is trembling and she has her hands to her ears, as if trying to protect herself.

"Tabitha... could it be, you're scared of ghosts?" Louise asked incredulously. This is big news to her. To think that the best in their class and the strongest mage of her age had something she was scared of... It just doesn't seem right.

_Brats are still brats after all._

"Idiots. Ghosts don't exist."

Accelerator left them, making sure to use the door this time.

===Break===

Louise shifted her weight on the horse, her butt sore and aching from nearly three hours of riding. It had been tough to get the school to let her go outside. They were still debating on whether or not she has recovered from her suicidal impulse and wouldn't let her go until she signed an oath stating that she would never attempt such a thing in the future.

"Care to tell me what we're doing back here?" Accelerator asked. The midget have once again dragged him to town, using shopping as an excuse. The horse backed away from him shamefully, unable to keep up with his ridiculous speed while traveling.

"B—because I have stuff I want to buy."

The pink haired midget got off the horse and handed it to the stables. People stared at them as they walked through the town.

"That white hair... could it be...?"

"No way! Look at how skinny he is."

"He looks weak..."

"He doesn't even have a beard!"

"Yeah... he's too young..."

"But doesn't he look kind of cool?"

"That wild look, like an untameable beast..."

"Couldn't you have worn a hat? All these stares are starting to get to me." Louise ground out, a vein popping on her forehead.

Accelerator grunted in response, directing light to flow around him as he did so. In another second, he was invisible.

The crowd gasped and rubbed heir eyes, unsure of what happened. Dismissing it as a mirage, they dispersed.

"You have to teach me how to do that one of these days." Louise said dryly. It hurts her pride to have a familiar that is more skilled than her but she also accepted the fact that if she is to improve her magic, his existence is an absolute necessity.

They ate lunch at a small restaurant before they went on. Oddly enough the restaurant was called MocRonall's, a complete clone of the one in Academy City. They even served burgers! Seeing such modern food in a medieval setting unnerved Accelerator quite a bit.

_Damn foreigners, their franchise even reaches beyond the worlds?_

Accelerator gave the restaurant another glance before dismissing it as mere coincidence. Satisfied, he followed the midget.

Louise turned down an alley and headed for the darker side of town. Drunks and thugs roamed about, their dirty appearance a clear representation of the poor populace. They moved out of her way, giving her hateful looks as she went along, resentment for the nobles clear on their faces. Louise ignored them and headed for the weapon store at the corner.

_The brat wants to buy a sword...? _Accelerator made himself visible again as they entered the shop, following the midget with curiosity.

"It's a recent fad at the castle to equip the underlings with weapons." The shop owner commented. He is thin with large front tooth that sticks out of his face, giving him the appearance of a mouse. Louise examined the selection of blades on the corner, her unfamiliarity with them clearly exposing her as an amateur. She held up a rapier and turned to the owner.

"Hmm... give me something bigger and thicker."

"Mind my words but that size is probably the best for him."

"I said give me something bigger and thicker!" Louise screamed, waving her arms in the process.

"Yes..." The owner went to the back, smirking as he did so. This one is gonna be an easy prey.

_Bigger and thicker?_

"Oi, brat. Small ones not enough for you?" Accelerator grinned.

"It's for you, you idiot."

"And just why the hell would I need a sword?" He raised an eyebrow. Considering that she knows what his usual fighting style is, it should be obvious that a sword will just be a hindrance.

"You should be happy your master is giving you a present!"

"The world must be ending if even someone as stingy as you would spend money for someone else."

Louise was about to retort when the owner came back, carrying a shiny sword. Her eyes lit up.

"How does this one look?" The owner handed her the golden sword. It was truly a beautiful blade with the both the blade and crossguard made of pure gold. Red gems decorated the pommel and crossguard.

"It's the shop's best sword, made by the famous Germanian alchemist Lord Shunpei. It'll cut iron like butter!"

"How much?"

"Three thousand new gold."

"Th—three thousand? You could buy a good house with a forest yard for that much!" Louise exclaimed incredulously. Accelerator took the sword from her and examined it, checking its sharpness.

"A fine blade is worth as much as a castle."

"Fine blade? Don't make me laugh." Accelerator grinned, tapping the sword in the middle of the blade with two fingers. The sword snapped, the tip burying itself onto the wooden floor.

"W—what did you just do? You better pay for that!" The owner gawked at him with his mouth open, caught between surprise and anger.

"Oi, oi. Don't get the wrong idea. What do you think you're trying to pull here, trying to sell us a broken sword." Accelerator's grin widened. This is gonna be fun.

"Ridiculous! I swear on my honor as a merchant that this is a respectable shop. All the blades here are of high quality and wouldn't break so easily..."

"Is that so?" Accelerator picked up another sword from the pile in the corner and broke it, throwing the pieces at the owner's floor.

"If this is what you mean by quality, then I suggest you move your business somewhere else, old man." Accelerator glared at the owner, his tone cold. "Bring me your best and we'll see if you weren't lying."

The owner hesitated for a moment and went to the back. After a few minutes of rummaging, he came back with finely made swords, each one worth at least a thousand new gold.

"These are the finest blades in this shop. I can assure you that each of them are of a state of the art weapons designed for heavy combat. Take your pick."

Accelerator only smiled and walked over to the pile of swords.

**Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap Snap!**

"I—impossible!" The owner fell on his knees, his most prized merchandise turned into piles of useless metal.

"Tch, useless." Accelerator exited the shop, leaving the owner in tears.

"Couldn't you have been less harsh about it?" Louise asked dryly. "We could have gotten you a fine sword with a high discount after you broke the first one! What a waste..."

_Seriously, she should get used to this by now._

"I told you I don't need a sword."

===Break===

"Mom, why is that girl talking to herself?" The little boy asked his mother, pointing at Louise.

"Shhh. Don't point your fingers at crazy people..." The mother dragged her kid away, looking at Louise as if she was some weirdo.

Louise ignored them and walked to the outskirts of the town, carefully avoiding the Enchanting Fairy Inn. She just don't have what it takes to face the people one more time. It is certain that if she shows her face to them, they would never let her go.

Accelerator turned invisible after they left the shop to avoid all the staring. It did very little however as it just made Louise look like a crazy person talking to an imaginary friend.

"Teach me how to do that right now!" She turned to where Accelerator materialized next to her. They have exited the town, taking the horse back with them.

Accelerator ignored her. Of course, it would be impossible to teach the midget...

"Why don't you show me da trick too, kid? It's been quite some time since I've seen such a trick."

Accelerator turned towards the voice sharply. He hasn't noticed anyone following them so who...

A few meters to the right of the road is a large slab of rock and stabbed into it was...

"What ya'll starin' at? Never seen a talking sword before?" The sword was moving its quillon, using it as a mouth. It is very old and single edged. Rust covered its entire length and its edge looked dull.

"Familiar... did that sword just... talk...?" Accelerator approached the blade, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

_Is this what this world's Caliburn supposed to look like?_

Getting closer, he noticed a note stuck on its hilt.

"Pull this sword and it's yours to keep." The note read.

Louise's eyes lit up. Even if the sword is a rusty piece of scrap iron, it is still a free item and Louise isn't exactly rich.

The midget gripped the handle and pulled.

Nothing interesting happens.

"Ha ha ha! You're gonna have to do better than that, girl! Though I wouldn't expect any less from someone as flat chested as you!"

"Grrrr... You're just a sword! How dare you talk to me like that!" Louise kicked the sword in anger, only to find herself on the ground afterward, clutching her broken toes. The sword howled in laughter, the sound echoing into the woods. Tears started to form around the corner of her eyes but she stopped herself from crying. No way in hell is she going to give the damn sword the pleasure of seeing her cry.

"What about you, kid? Fancy trying your luck with me?"

"The hell? Are you trying to make me the king of this country?" Accelerator asked it suspiciously.

"What?" The sword seemed confused, although it should be impossible for a sword to be confused...

"Don't expect me to do something so troublesome." Accelerator walked away, leaving the sword sputtering in shock at being rejected.

"Now hold on there brother! If it's conquering you want, then I'm just the right sword for you! I'm the legendary Derflinger!"

Accelerator ignored it and kept walking.

"First that shop owner throws me out when no one bought me after sitting in the corner for so long and now this? Why is it that humans prefer those useless pieces of junk over me?" The sword seemed offended, though if Louise were to visit the shop just a few days earlier, Derflinger would be no doubt in the same pile of broken metal as the other blades after Accelerator was done with him...

"_It's pointless to fight fate." _The girl's words rang in his head. Has his fate already been decided by some unknown existence in the abyss?

"Oho, looks like someone changed his mind—wait, what are you doing?"

Accelerator sprinted towards the sword, and lunged at the sword, delivering a round house kick to its blade.

**Kwaaannggg. Thwack.**

The sword spun and flew a few hundred meters into the forest, soaring in a wide arc. It buried itself perpendicularly into a tree.

"What were you trying to do? What will you do if the thing broke?"

Accelerator ignored her and went to retrieve the sword. The blade was spewing nonsense about how kids these days have no respect for the elderly. He shut it up by tightly gripping its handle in almost a chokehold and pulled it free.

"Nice grip you got there kid! If you weren't so damn hotheaded I would have let you be my partner you know."

"Swords don't talk." Accelerator glared at it with such intensity that the sword fell quiet instantly. Suddenly, light began to glow from the runes in his hand, the blinding pain jolting through his body as mana exploded out of the runes and entered his body. Information flooded his brain on the sword's usage just as his body was almost torn apart from the raging force inside his veins, boosting his physical strength as well as tearing his muscles apart.

_Not this again..._

Before the torrent of mana could reach his vitals, he quickly redirected the flow out of his body, flowing out of his mouth into...

"Now this is quite something else lad! I've decided to make you my partner!" The sword talked even as it greedily drank the excess mana coming off Accelerator. Derflinger began to glow dazzling white brilliance. Realizing that the runes responded when he grabbed the sword, Accelerator dropped the sword. The glow from the runes in his hand quickly faded.

"To think I would live to see another Gandalfr in my lifetime... This must surely be fate!"

"Gandal—what?" Louise helped Accelerator up, his body still unsteady from the sudden surge of magic.

"Gandalfr. Don't tell me you kids don't know about the class of familiars for void magic users?"

"Void magic?"

The sword sighed. It adopted a lecturing tone and told them the history of the world as it remembered it. It told of Brimir, the Founder and first void mage. It also told of the birth of the countries of Gallia, Romania, Tristain and Albion's royal families from the founder's descendants. What spiked Louise's interest however was the Founder's affinity for explosions and other destructive spells. The founder had four familiars: the left hand of god, the right hand of god, the heart of god, and the mind of god. The left hand of god, Gandalfr's, job is to stall the enemy long enough for the slow casting void mage to finish his spell. The sword went on to tell them about his own heroics and contributions. The sword then ended his tale by declaring Louise as the first void mage he's seen after Brimir's death six thousand years ago.

"But how am I supposed to learn an extinct magic..." Louise was upset. Just as when she thought she finally found a clue on how to properly use magic, it turned out that it is a lost art. A cloud of despair formed above her bent figure.

"Gandalfr..." _So that's what these runes are. But just why the hell is it that my body feels like it's being destroyed when the power flows into me?_

"You said you can swallow magic. Can you spit it out as well?"

"Now partner. Let me tell you this now just so we're clear. I do not suck, nor spit, nor swallow—ouch!"

Accelerator gave the sword a good smack to the... hilt. The founder's love for dirty jokes must have surely rubbed off on it. It was about to give him another lecture when he smacked it again, shutting it up for the moment.

"Well, I've never really tried spitting out what I already took in, but we can try..."

"Interesting..." Accelerator grinned, remembering the time when a certain spiky haired idiot had defeated him, the strongest esper in Academy City. The bastard's right hand had the ability to cancel out his own ability, leading to his defeat. While the sword can't exactly do the same thing, it seems close enough.

"Ready partner?"

Accelerator gripped the sword wordlessly. The white burst of light came almost immediately, filling his very being. He quickly redirected the flow into the sword, the ceaseless torrent of raw energy causing it to glow white hot.

_Interesting... it seems to compress the magic it swallowed in order to minimize volume consumption, giving it higher capacity... As I pump more, it compresses it more and more, increasing the pressure as well..._

"Slow down partner! Isn't that too much? I—I can't hold it! I'm gonna come!" The sword vibrated, its white glow shining brighter than the sun. Accelerator turned the light from his eyes to avoid being blinded. Louise covered her eyes. Accelerator's grip on the sword tightened. He held it to the side and faced the mountain in the distance, prepared to swing.

_Now let's see if this works..._

"At my signal."

"You got it partner! ... Ahhh." The sword moaned. Traces of white light started to seep out from it.

"EX—"

"Here we go!" The sword choked out its words.

"—CALIBUR!"

**VWOOOOSSHHHH... BOOOOOM... Sh sh shshshsh...**

An enormous beam of white light fifty meters in diameter exploded from the sword, vaporizing everything in its path. When Louise opened her eyes the mountain was gone. A path of bare earth led up to where it used to be. Burned vegetation that were caught on the edge of the beam lay smoking on the sides. The forest looks as if it was cleaved by a giant sword.

"Now that felt good! I knew you were the one meant to wield me, partner! But can you not say another sword's name while you're wielding me? It feels awkward you know." The sword laughed.

Accelerator felt a sense of exhilaration. He grinned, having found a new toy. The attack he just did resembled the one from holy sword in the game almost perfectly.

"Hmmpf." Accelerator dug out the sword's scabbard from under the rock and sheathed it.

"Let's run for the hills, kid's. Don't want anyone asking us questions on what we did to that mountain do we?"

"I-impossible..." Louise breathed out. She knew he was strong but to have an attack than can shatter mountains? She finally snapped out of her shock and looked at her familiar. It seems the only thing he's done ever since he was summoned was ridiculous things. Looking at him now, he seems more majestic than any dragon, stronger than any griffin, and more vicious than any viper.

"Familiar." She said dryly. "I thought you said you don't need a sword."

Accelerator grunted in response. This sword is special. He highly doubts there are any other out there that is on the level of a noble phantasm...

_Tch, looks like I got too addicted to that game... damn you Yoshikawa._

===Break===

Guiche walked the empty hallways of the school in solitude, slap marks decorating his cheeks. Everyone had blamed him for giving Louise the last push for her to jump. If the midget actually died, there's no doubt they will take him to court and find him guilty of murder. He sighed. Things just doesn't seem to go his way recently. He almost died not too long ago and to top it off, he can't even seem to have dreams anymore. Every moment of sleep finds him in a dark river. Souls of the dead ferried along beside his own boat. He cursed his luck. Being the third son of Gramont, he was pressured to surpass the accomplishments of his elder brothers. When the task seemed impossible for him, he just thew it all out the window and instead pursued womanly pleasures.

Thinking back on it now, he wished he had tried just a little bit harder.

A loud rumbling noise jolted him back to the present. Out of the shadows came out a familiar figure.

"Ah, my dear Katie. Every moment that I didn't see you face brought my heart excruciating pain. I heard you went back home to recover from an illness... They didn't say that you came back..."

Guiche words trailed off. There was something wrong with Katie. Dried blood crusted on her dirty skin and her clothes were in tatters. She limped towards him, her eyes shining red.

"W—what happened to you...?" Looking closer, he noticed that she I wearing an eye patch on her left eye, hiding the empty socket where the maid had gouged her eye out during interrogation. The bright red glow shone through it and intensified as she got closer.

Guiche backed off, his long dormant sense of danger finally awakening. He started to run, his legs weakening in fear.

Too late.

Katie tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms to the sides and using her knees to hold down his center of gravity. She brought Guiche's face close close to her own and without hesitation, pressed her mouth into his.

"Mmmpffff!" Guiche struggled. If Montmorency were to see this, she would not let him go with just a beating...

Guiche struggled for a few more seconds and fell still.

Katie finally let go of his limp body, satisfied.

The useless fop didn't have nearly enough life force to suck out in order to feed the _thing_ inside her but it would have to do for its first meal.

After all, this school is supposed to have many more students just brimming with life right?

===Break===

There are many things that I could have done to make this chapter better but I wasn't thinking straight when I wrote it. I kinda get the feeling that I don't focus on Louise enough.

In short, I don't like this chapter...

But if you DO enjoy reading this story, then please recommend it to a friend.

It really makes the writer happy to know that many people enjoy reading his work.

Until next time,

UglyFingers


	8. Are they having sex?

A/N:

Due to many people suggesting to keep mostly to the ZnT storyline, I have decided to rewrite chapter 7 and steer the story in a completely different direction. Thank you all for the responses. I hope you all honestly tell me if I am making mistakes so I can fix it quickly. I can create new story lines easily so please tell me when the current one does not make sense and I will try to fix it.

I wrote this chapter while keeping in mind that so far, the constant pervertedness of the ZnT world was missing from my writings. I just hope I didn't go overboard with it...

I welcome comments and criticisms as well as suggestions like usual. It is easier to write when I have some material to work with.

Thank you all for your support.

Chapter 7: "Are they having sex?"

"Louise!" The red head charged at the midget as she came through the school gates, smothering her in her ample breasts. The midget tried to fight off the attacker, gasping for air.

"Oh Louise, I thought you went home already! If something happened to you while you're traveling, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"Stop it, Kirche! I'm gonna die!" The midget managed to gasp out, sucking in air. The red head's attack caught her off guard. Kirche removed Louise from her chest and beamed at her in a disconcerting manner. Louise wondered just what could cause such a change in her classmate's attitude towards her until she remembered the play she put on for the entire school a few day ago which earned her the sympathy of most of the students and staff.

"Some nice girl on girl action you got going there. Now that's hot!" Derflinger exclaimed from Accelerator's back, completely out of view.

Kirche turned towards the voice, still keeping a firm grip on Louise. Her eyes narrowed as her gaze fell upon Accelerator who was standing there innocently and looking at the situation with a bored expression on his face.

"Ara? Could it be you're jealous? If you want, I can make an exception and allow you into my room despite being a commoner... You should feel honored a noble is giving you this opportunity. How does a one night stand sound?" She winked at him, smiling deviously. She knows he isn't just some weak random guy that Louise picked off the street, having seen him in action enough times to be awed by his epicness. Bedding him would assure her influence on him and also give her hours of pleasure as a side effect.

"Kirche, are you trying to seduce my familiar?" Louise glared daggers at the red head, not wanting him to get caught up in the other girl's manipulative nature.

Accelerator looked her over, taking in the voluptuous curves of her body, her enormous breasts, her tight ass, and her flirty expression.

Derflinger whispered her parameters to him, as if reciting from a stat card.

"Bust: 94. Waist: 63. Hips: 95.

Status: officially single.

Number of current sexual partners: 7.

Number of previous partners: 38.

Specialty: fellatio, paizuri.

Fun fact: ANAL VIRGIN."

The sword paused, trying to decide if he needs to add more to his assessment. "Not bad, partner. I say you should go for it."

Accelerator answered instantly before the sword even finished talking. Even though he has no idea where the sword got the numbers from, he knew to trust its six thousand years of experience of ogling at women.

"And get AIDS? What are you, an STD Santa? Do you just hand out HIV's to anyone you come across? I'd rather take my chances with any random girl back in Academy City than do it with someone like you. Although their bodies are average, at least it is safe to assume most of them are not walking banks of every sexually transmitted disease in existence."

"Like a boss!" Derflinger laughed in amusement as it watched Kirche sputtering at this rejection.

Kirche was working her mouth like a fish out of water, gaping at him in shock.

"AIDS? HIV? STD? Although I don't know what those are, I am still quite sure that you have insulted me. To think that I, a noble, would be insulted in such a way..."

Truly. Barbarians.

A fly flew into Kirche's gaping mouth, causing her to choke. She tried to clear her throat of the obstruction, bending over as she did so.

**Spliiisssshhh.**

Kirche vomited out a sea of white liquid, gasping for air.

"I rest my case."

Louise left the outraged red head and moved to the other member of her party. Tabitha looked up at her from her book as she approached.

"So... are you going home?" The midget asked the other midget, looking at the packed trunks and carriage.

The blue haired midget nodded and turned back to her book. Knowing that she would not be able to get any more answers from the other midget, the pink haired midget sighed and grabbed her familiar's sleeve, trying to get him away from the red head before he could kill her.

"Have a nice summer vacation, Tabitha!" Louise waved as the carriage sped away.

"So... what is AIDS?" Louise narrowed her eyes and asked her familiar seriously. If it's something bad enough that it would cause a man to deny one of the hottest women in the country, then it has got to be something terrible indeed.

Accelerator grinned and explained as they walked into the castle.

===Break===

Accelerator face palmed.

Then he face palmed again.

And again.

After doing three more rounds of double face palms, he did the impossible and finished with a triple face palm.

Yes. That's how frustrated he was at the midget's level of sexual education, or the complete lack of it for that matter. Well, at least the midget knew the basics of the basics of baby making. Accelerator started from there, explaining the actual biological mechanics of it. He then proceeded to talk about various scenarios. Though he had already expected them not to have condoms in this land, surely they could have taught their children about the various risky acts that would most often than not, cause them to have pain in their genitals for the rest of their life?

"That... thing... is dangerous?!" Louise's horrified expression combined with her blushing was priceless enough to relieve some of Accelerator's frustration as he started to explain more about the various fetishes that people had back in his world. Although he have absolutely no interest in the matter, he was forced to learn about them as he hid himself in a health science classroom when he was eleven, having hidden inside the locker of cleaning equipment while escaping from his pursuers. The class started before he could escape, forcing him to learn what was being taught. The horrific images implanted into his mind from this experience gave him the ability to tolerate disgusting and gory sights, helping him in the future when maiming and torturing his attackers for information.

He covered the various diseases with the midget. To be honest, it was quite fun seeing the midget's reactions as she learned about the more disgusting ones.

"Will it really give me... herpes?" Louise prodded at him, curiosity and fear winning over disgust.

"Only if it's been dipped several times inside several other people." Accelerator answered. He did not particularly like talking about it but someone had to educate the midget and he doubt anyone here in this world would know just what he's talking about.

"W—we have to tell everyone about this! Most nobles have concubines and—and if those have already been with other men and it—it spreads..." Louise held her head in her arms, a headache beginning to settle on her as she thought about how these "STD's" are easily passed and how it could wipe out all the humans on the planet if left unchecked.

"This isn't something a child like you will have to worry about. Only pedophiles would be interested in you anyways."

Louise gritted her teeth and stopped herself from kicking him, knowing that the moment she does, she would only succeed in breaking her foot again.

===Break===

Louise banged on Old Osmond's door in a rather crazed manner, as if her life was on the line. It took a while before a tired looking maid walked out, heavily bruised and bandaged. Louise looked at Siesta's wounds, wondering just what could have given the maid such serious injuries.

Accelerator wondered about that too. If there was anyone who could actually stand a chance against the maid, it would be either Mr. Colbert or some other top tier warrior. Since the injuries did not look like burns, he ruled out the first, having been told that the bald man was a fire mage.

"Well then, Ms. Siesta. If that concludes your report, then you are free to leave. Please look after Mr. Gramont as well. I have been trying to avoid collateral damage but it seems the situation just doesn't give us this luxury. Anyway, please close the door on your way out. I'm afraid Ms. Valliere have a very urgent matter she needs to discuss with me. I just hope it's not about another suicide attempt..."

The maid gave Louise a speculative glance and nodded to Accelerator, who nodded back. Louise barged into the headmaster's office, her face sweating and her expression wild.

"Principal Osmond!" The midget slammed her fists onto the old man's desk, causing papers to fly about. The midget ignored it and stared at the headmaster with crazed unblinking eyes. The unnerving eye contact caused the old man to fear for his student's sanity, wondering what could possibly get her this riled up.

"Yes?" The old man asked, disturbed.

"Did you know that the penis is a weapon that can easily destroy a nation?" She asked seriously.

"Ms. Valliere could you please get off—wait what?!"

Derflinger laughed, amused at the whole situation. The headmaster glanced over at Accelerator, who seemed to be standing stony faced in the corner with a bored expression.

"Principal! This is a serious matter and I propose teaching our students here in Tristain's Academy of Magic about the dangers of wielding the penis unprotected before our students go out into the world and murder everyone they come across!"

The old man could only gawk at her in shock. Such words coming from the mouth of a child was disturbing enough to completely throw him off.

"Ms. Valliere... I'm afraid you have lost me. Can you please explain just how a man's genitals can be so dangerous a weapon that you think it can destroy the world?"

"Well, it can shoot out countless soldiers ready to give their life for their cause with only one shot, for one! It can also …"

Louise's explanation went on for hours, ranting on about various diseases contracted through risky sexual behavior as well as the viruses that caused them. The headmaster became more and more confused at what she was telling him and concluded that she has finally lost her sanity. He looked at her pitifully and said, "Ms. Valliere, at this time, I fear for the current state of you mind and would like to suggest having a rest at your home to recuperate. I know that having a near death experience can be quite traumatizing and I think the warmth of your family can help you in relieving some of your stress."

"Principal! This is a serious matter! We need to include sex education into our school curriculum immediately!"

"How are we supposed to teach a subject that no one knows about?"

"My familiar can teach it." The midget crossed her arms triumphantly.

"Oi." Accelerator glared at the midget, obviously pissed. Him, the Accelerator, teaching a bunch of conceited, hormonal teenagers about sexual health?

"I'll consider it if you can show me proof the these things you call _'byrus'_ actually exist."

"T—that's..." Louise looked to Accelerator for help, almost in tears at not having been believed by the principal.

Accelerator pretended to sigh. He closed his eyes and nodded in pity.

"The midget's lost it."

"H—huh...?"

Louise's shock at her familiar's betrayal painted her face, followed by hiccups and sobs. She fell to her knees, realizing just how badly she's made a fool of herself.

"Y—you were lying to me!" Her eyes watered, tears ready to flow.

"That's enough partner. I'm starting to feel sorry for her, and that's saying something."

"Tch. Fine."

Accelerator walked up to Osmond's desk, sliced a thin piece of the cheese on the headmaster's table and set it down for them all to see. The cheese almost seems transparent from the way it was cut. After staining it with some chemicals he found in Mr. Colbert's lab earlier (obtained without permission of course), he then propped it on a stand and put a mirror underneath to reflect light through the cheese. After he got their attention, he set about bending the light to create a microscopic effect.

The old man's eyes widened as what looked like giant monsters popped out from the piece of cheese. Strains of coccus, basillus and spirillus all intermingled and excreted enzymes in the process of extracellular digestion.

"What in the Founder...?!" The old man knocked his chair backwards, trying to get away. Louise watched wide eyed as what looked like a small robot (Accelerator taught her later that day about the cleaning bots in Academy City, as well as the differing world that he came from. The midget was so shaken that she accepted everything he told her immediately.) descended on one of the rod like organism and injected its genetic material into the bacteria.

"Are they having sex?" Louise asked excitedly, entranced at the display of micro organismal life.

Accelerator face palmed for the umpteenth time that day.

===Break===

"Not doing it."

"But why? Don't you think it's your duty to spread this knowledge to the others? Being a teacher is the best way to achieve this!"

"What do I look like, some sort of hero? What do I care if this country falls from an outbreak of chlamydia?"

Louise gaped at her familiar's apparent lack of care towards others. Having been raised as a noble and a Valliere, she have always thought it was her duty to take care of those below her. Her familiar however, is the complete opposite. He doesn't give a shit at all. She knows he can be cruel at times but she must have miscalculated the small amount of goodness in him. She frowned pensively, trying to think of ways to get him to reveal about the potential biological threat to the world.

"I'm your master! It is your duty as my familiar to follow my wishes!" She tried to look commanding, puffing out her chest (of course producing no significant effect whatsoever) and adopting a dignified expression.

Accelerator narrowed his eyes, his tone dropping a few degrees centigrade. "Didn't I tell you to quit that crap?"

Louise blushed in anger. Why couldn't she have summoned a normal, obedient familiar? Her pride has been crushed repeatedly on more occasions than she can count during the time she spent with him.

_Calm down... he's just a familiar! Focus... focus...Aggh! I'm so pissed!_

"What will it take for you to change your mind?" She looked up at the sky and calmed herself. The two moons that hovered in the night sky reminded her of the night of his summoning. It had been scary, yes, but the terror and elation she felt that night wouldn't have occurred if not for her familiar. She stifled a smile, trying to be as serious as possible.

Her familiar's attention however, was already lost somewhere else. Following his gaze, she noticed a table set in the courtyard. Seated there were Montmorency and Guiche. The pretty boy looked pale and somewhat ghostly. Accelerator could see that he has been in another near death experience. He briefly wondered if the maid was somehow involved...

"My Montmorency..." Guiche began and inched his face closer to the girl's.

She stopped him with a finger and said, "Don't hurry. You shouldn't even be up and about yet. I was so scared when I saw the teachers carrying you... I—I thought you died!" Montmorency stifled a sob.

"Oh how it pains me to know I've caused you worry, my love." Guiche motioned dramatically.

"I was starting to think... if something happens to you again, we would never get the chance to... you know... Maybe we shouldn't wait for marriage before we... do _it_..." Montmorency blushed and looked down into her drink.

Guiche's jaw dropped in disbelief, shocked at the words he never expected coming out of his girlfriend's lips. He looked at her with tearful eyes and reached over to hug her.

"Wait!" Montmorency stopped him once again, holding up her hands.

"Are you teasing me?" Guiche almost cried.

"No... it's just... I'm a bit nervous as it's my first time... so let's first finish our drink to get us in the mood..." She handed Guiche his wine glass. "Then maybe we could first start with some anal?" She said shyly.

"Oh, Montmorency!" Guiche exclaimed and reached for her again, brimming with emotion...

"NO!"

The pink haired midget ran up to their table and snatched his drink. Montmorency looked as if she was about to grab back Guiche's drink from Louise but thought better about it. Guiche' angry spiel from being interrupted at the most crucial point in his life rang out in the dimly lit courtyard when he saw the intruder.

"T—that was dangerous!" The midget exclaimed, panting as if she had just secured a time bomb on the verge of detonation.

"Zero, was it not enough that you have almost caused me to lose my life not once, but twice? Was it also not enough that you have made me suffer numerous accounts of humiliation that you feel the need to interrupt this sacred moment of my life?" Guiche narrowed his eyes, his anger flowing out and sending chills to the cock blocking midget.

Louise shuddered but held her ground.

"You _never_ go ass to mouth!" She scolded them.

"Wha—?!" The two lovers exclaimed in unison.

"Like I said,... —owww!" Louise rubbed her forehead, nursing the bruise that was starting to form. She turned to look at her familiar grudgingly and opened her mouth to say something but a few more chops to the forehead shut her up.

"What was that for?"

"Look what you did to her partner! She's starting to get a bit too into this. Horror stories can be quite traumatizing you know." Derflinger scolded from Accelerator's back.

Accelerator grunted and began to drag the midget away from the couple and back towards the castle. The midget gave up and drank Guiche's drink, trying to figure out how to better handle her familiar. She fell asleep on her feet as they reached the school's door and Accelerator laid her down on a table. He looked around the antechamber, searching for the maid. He knows she is keeping an eye on his movements and wasn't surprised when she appeared out of the shadows and walked up to him, various parts of her body wrapped in bandages.

"Looks like you gave Ms. Valliere quite the tale for her to be this exhausted." She commented with amused eyes.

"You look like you're carrying quite the story yourself, young lady. What happened to you?" Derflinger inquired from Accelerator's back.

Siesta raised an eyebrow and searched for the foreign voice. She found Derflinger and quickly made the connection.

"I believe this is the first time I've met you, sir. My name is Siesta." She introduced herself and waited for a response."

"Derflinger at your service! Hey partner, I like this one already~! I think you should go for—ooff!" His speech was cut off as Accelerator slammed him back into his sheath before he could cause any more trouble.

"That was rude." The maid commented, though her eyes glittered in amusement.

Accelerator ignored her and pointed to the sleeping midget. "Take care of this."

"Ordering around an injured person... You sure can be cruel Mr. Familiar."

"Injured? Hmf, those light scratches don't affect you at all. Don't lie to me."

The maid giggled. "You know me too well."

The maid slung the midget over her shoulder and carried her to her room, leaving Accelerator at the entrance. He briefly thought about his first actual fruitful interaction with Louise. It could have been a mistake teaching her about the dangers of adult matters but he didn't care. Thinking that he midget's excitement will wear off by the next day, he headed for the rooftop to enjoy the night air.

===Break===

"Kinky." The sword commented at the scene before him and Accelerator.

"Siesta! How could you be so cold when I love you this much?" The midget whimpered, trying untangle herself from the cocoon of bandages. The maid was breathing heavily and trying to keep at least some portions of her body hidden from view. Her maid uniform is in tatters, as if a beast had attacked her.

"Ms. Valliere, I regret to inform you that while I am happy that you like me very much, I just do not swing that way." The maid gasped out in between moans as the midget finally freed the upper portion of her body from the cocoon and successfully caught up to Siesta and attacked her erogenous zones.

Accelerator sighed. "It was the drink wasn't it?"

"Sieeesstaa..." The midget buried her blushing face into the maid's cleavage and moaned in pleasure. "I love you..."

"I take it you have no intention of helping, Mr. Familiar?" The maid looked up at Accelerator with a dry smile.

"I might, though it's gonna cost you something."

"Fine, I don't mind owing you one for this."

"Just make sure you don't regret it."

Accelerator extricated the midget from the maid and noticed that she was naked underneath the cocoon of bandages. He wrapped her in bed sheets and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Know your place familiar! You have no right to separate your master from her most precious person!" Louise slammed her fists on his back and yelled at the top of her lungs. "Siesta...please don't leave me..." Louise sniffled, her eyes tearing up.

"Lead the way." Accelerator ordered the maid.

"Of course." She went ahead of him and led the way to Montmorency's room, whispering softly to Louise as she passed.

"Everything will be okay Ms. Valliere." The maid assured her. "I will never abandon you."

Accelerator raised an eyebrow at Siesta's sudden gesture of gentleness but didn't say anything, attributing it to the fact that the maid is still a girl and must have had a caring nature before she became what she is now.

===Break===

**Bang!**

Guiche and Montmorency were jolted from their slumber as their door was kicked open by an angry white haired demon. The midget slung over his shoulder struggled against the bed sheet wrappings, trying to see what was happening in the front. The maid followed after them, her expression unforgiving.

Guiche saw Accelerator's expression and jumped out of bed, exposing his naked form. In one fluid motion, he rolled on the floor, crossed his arms to protect his face, and jumped through the window. Pieces of shattered glass fell on the floor, creating possible traps.

Montmorency sat open mouthed at Guiche's quick escape.

"Da fuck?" Accelerator could not filter the amusement from his voice at the sight.

"I believe Mr. Gramont thought that we were after him, Mr. Familiar."

"What an idiot."

"W—what do you people want?" Montmorency covered herself and shook in fear.

"Don't play dumb you brat." Accelerator tossed Louise onto the bed and pointed. "Fix this."

Louise extricated herself and looked around for Siesta. After locating her target, the midget launched herself from the bed straight onto the almost naked maid.

"Ummm... that's..."

"What was in that drink?"

"Nothing dangerous. Just a love potion mixed with a strong aphrodisiac. I was going to give it to Guiche to up his sex drive but..." She rubbed her ass ruefully. "...it seems he didn't need it."

Accelerator fought the urge to kill the girl. Monstrous amounts of murderous intent flowed out of him, so much so that even the dense blonde could sense it. Feeling her life in danger, Montmorency quickly tried to appease the threat.

"The effects should wear off in due time."

"How long?"

"Maybe a month from now... or maybe a year from now—kyaa!"

Accelerator pulled her out of bed and held her by the hair. He made her face the midget who was clutching at the maid as if she was her lifeline. Hearts practically radiated from the midget as she stared up adoringly at the maid.

"Isn't this better than her usually stuck up attitude?"

**Crunch!**

Montmorency's face exploded in a sea of blood as her nose broke from the impact of hitting the stone floor. Accelerator pulled up the bleeding blonde and looked her in the eye.

"I'll say this one last time. Fix it." Accelerator said in a cold tone that could freeze blood.

Montmorency pissed herself.

===Break===

"Along the border with Gallia?" The maid asked while trying to manage Louise on the horse. The midget wouldn't let go of the maid and took every opportunity to undress her. The aphrodisiac's effects was as potent as ever as the midget is always in an aroused state.

"It'll take half a day to get there." Montmorency answered with a yawn. They got up early to get the antidote to the love potion. Their destination is Lake Lagdorian, a lake near the border of Gallia. Guiche came along as well in attempt to redeem himself from leaving his girlfriend in the hands of Accelerator while he escaped alone to safety.

"And may I ask what this antidote is?"

"It is called the Spirit's Tear, which is a part of the body of the Water Spirit of Lagdorian Lake. My family has had a pact with the Water Spirit for a very long time. Hopefully we could get her to help..." Montmorency touched her nose, reminiscing the way it was broken just the previous day. They had healed the wound and repaired the bone but the memory of it still lingers in her body. The long ride is also starting to take its toll on her still sore crotch. She made a mental note to punish Guiche later...

After five hours of riding, they arrived to the village on the border of Gallia.

"Oh, my." Siesta frowned at the sight. The village is sunk underwater. Rooftops of the taller houses are jutting out in various places but most of the village is underwater.

"What happened here?"

"When I came here with my father as a child, it wasn't like this..." Montmorency answered. "This probably means the spirit is upset... Let's wait for a while. The spirit won't come out until the sun sets anyway."

===Break===

"We decline, lonely one." The water spirit shook its head, its feminine form shimmering slightly in the afternoon light.

"Too bad." Accelerator turned to leave.

"Wait!" Siesta grabbed him before he could escape. The midget is sleeping on a tree, completely oblivious to everything around her.

"You told me you'd help me with this." The maid reminded him firmly.

Accelerator turned to Montmorency. "Convince it."

"It's impossible... if it won't give even me a piece of its body... then..."

Accelerator sighed and turned to the water spirit. The water spirit merely stared down on him, its imposing size six times theirs. Accelerator walked up to it almost lazily and began to talk as if the water spirit were an old friend.

"Oi, Vivian. We don't have all day here. In case you didn't hear the first time, let me say it again. WE. WANT. YOUR. BODY." Accelerator drawled out the words, carefully enunciating each one.

"That was rude!" Montmorency snapped at him angrily. The rest of them face palmed. They should have expected him to do something like this...

The water spirit's response was even more shocking. "How did you know my name?"

"Same way as I know all your other names. Nimue, Elaine, Niniane, Nivian, Nyneve, Evienne,... or would you rather me call you Lady of the Lake?"

The water spirit's liquid eyes widened in shock, then with amusement. "You never fail to amuse us, Gandalfr."

The rest of them looked at Accelerator then back at the water spirit in confusion, not understanding.

"In all our life, only Merlin has ever asked us for our body in such a way."

"Let me guess. You're not from this world are you?"

"That is correct. We have been transferred here by the one called Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg many centuries ago on a request from Gaia."

_Fuck... There goes my ticket home. If I remember right, that bastard is impossible to find if he doesn't want to be found..._

"We see you are also not from this world, Gandalfr."

"That's irrelevant. Just give us your body so we can get the hell out of here."

"Such things does not come without a price, Gandalfr."

"Hey, you gave away Excalibur for free." Accelerator pointed out. "You either give us what we want or I can just take it by force." He released a large amount of killing intent as he said the threat.

"What are you doing?!" Montmorency hissed at him. "Are you trying to get us killed?!"

Accelerator ignored her and focused on the water spirit.

The water spirit hesitated. It took a full minute before it spoke again. "Very well. It is to our disadvantage to battle against the One Who Wields the Power of God and it would be even worse if we were to be remembered as a foe after fate has taken its course for him. "

"You know my future?"

"Vaguely." The water spirit formed a bottle and put funneled a piece of its thigh into it. The bottle floated to Accelerator. He caught it and tossed it to Montmorency.

"Let's go."

"Wait lonely ones."

They stopped and looked up at the water spirit, wondering why it stopped them.

"As we are busy raising the water level, we are unable to fend off attack from some of your kind. We desire to be rid of them"

"Attacking the water spirit? Who'd do such a fearless thing?" Guiche wondered.

Everyone stared at Accelerator.

"We would like to request this from Gandalfr and his companions as a favor."

"The hell? You expect me to do something so troublesome?." Accelerator walked away, uninterested.

"We would make sure to repay the favor in full."

Accelerator kept walking.

"What would it take for Gandalfr to accept our request?"

Accelerator stopped, thinking.

"Be my slave."

"WHAAT?!" His companions looked at him incredulously, their mouths gaping open. A water spirit as a slave? Who would be crazy enough... oh...

"What you ask of us is impossible under normal circumstances, but we're afraid we have to grudgingly accept at this time."

_Oi, oi. I only meant it as a joke... how annoying._

"The hell? You do realize I was joking right?"

"We have already accepted."

"Tch, fine. Do what you want."

===Break===

The two moons reflected off the lake's dark waters, its beauty magnified twice fold on the dark surface. The group sat around a campfire, holding a meeting to decide on how to go about dealing with the attackers.

"Mr. Familiar, I believe it is your fault we are in this predicament. Would you like to suggest on how to proceed?" The maid looked at him coolly, daring him to take the bait.

"You owe me one. Take care of it." Accelerator laid back down, uninterested.

"I'm afraid I am limited in my capabilities because of my status as a maid."

"You're not going to let this one go, are you?"

"Of course not."

"Tch, you still owe me."

"Attacking the spirit at the bottom of the lake..." Guiche said thoughtfully. "That's quite a mage we're up against."

"How do you even dive into the lake?"

"Most likely a user of air."

"I think so too."

They hid behind trees and watched the lake intently, waiting for the culprits to show up.

"Using air magic, you can create a sphere of air and use it to walk along the bottom."

"I think we are against quite the caster."

"Siesta, what is my familiar doing?" The midget spoke up for the first time since they arrived, finally waking up from her slumber.

"He's about to enslave a water spirit, Ms. Valliere."

"I see... then I suppose this is a good time for us to..." The midget trailed off and attacked Siesta's clothing once again.

"Quiet down idiots." Accelerator appeared and gave them hard chops to the forehead.

"Help me! Siesta, he's being mean again!" The midget whimpered and hid behind the maid.

"Everything will be alright, Ms. Valliere. I will protect you." She sneered at Accelerator, holding the midget close.

"Are you sure you don't swing that way?"

The maid ignored him and pointed back to the lake to remind him of what he should be doing.

"Someone's here!" Guiche whispered.

Two figures wearing hooded cloaks appeared and approached the lake.

"There's no mistake. It looks like a spell is being cast."

The short one waved its crooked staff creating a sphere of air while the taller one looked around, searching for enemies.

**Boooooom!**

The ground exploded around the two figures, shooting shrapnels of rock everywhere. The two figures double over in pain as it hit them, blood trickling from their pierced bodies. Accelerator approached them, the familiar smile of sadism plastered on his face once again.

"Quite the mage huh. Oi, oi. Is this all you can do? Don't make this too easy on me now. Even I need some fun once in a while... If this is all you have, it won't even be half as fun when I kill you."

The two figures struggled to get up unsteadily, the impact of the blast of earth taking its toll on their bodies.

Accelerator grabbed the shorter one and held her up, causing the hood to fall off...revealing a familiar blue haired midget.

"Tabitha?"

"Montmorency, and Guiche, even Louise and Siesta?" The midget's companion seem as shocked as the rest of them. She took off her hood and looked at them inquiringly, holding her sides which bore the brunt of Accelerator's attack.

"Kirche too?"

"The fuck is going on here?"

===Break===

"So that's what's going on." Kirche nodded comprehensively. "But why did you make something as dangerous as a love potion? And to add an aphrodisiac at that. Have you also been looking through my room?"

"That's..."

Montmorency blushed furiously as she went about healing the two's injuries. Fortunately, the red head didn't notice her face reddening.

"Hmmm... but this sets us in quite a predicament. We have to defeat the water spirit for Tabitha to keep face."

"Why do you have to defeat it?" Siesta asked, pinning Louise's hands to the ground.

"That's because... Tabitha's family asked her to. The water level is rising every day and their territory is getting damaged."

"This is so ridiculous it's just pathetic." Accelerator sighed. "If it's really that important, I guess I could help you out." His grin sent shudders to the red head and the blue haired midget. "You'll owe me for this though."

"Hey! That's cruel!" Montmorency gasped as she realized what Accelerator is up to.

Siesta giggled. "Looks like you've been learning from me quite a bit eh, Mr. Familiar."

"Shut it." He glared at the two before turning back to Tabitha and Kirche. "Do we have a deal?"

Tabitha nodded. Kirche looked confused but she nodded as well.

Accelerator faced the lake and called out in a loud, clear voice.

"Vivian!"

A pillar of water six times their height rose from the lake and took on the form of a naked female figure which bore a close resemblance to Montmorency.

"You have called, Gandalfr?"

"I have stopped the attacks."

The water spirit briefly glanced at Kirche and Tabitha an nodded.

"We shall begin the contract ritual."

The water spirit spread her arms and a soft, blue glow emanated from its liquid form. The body started to shrink until it was about their size. Its features became more prominent, assuming the figure of a woman. In another minute, a fully naked, gorgeous woman stood before them, her beauty transcending human limits. Even Kirche admitted she was the most beautiful woman she have ever seen.

The woman walked up to Accelerator and kneeled. She bowed her head and said in a melodious voice.

"I, the embodiment of all that is water, hereby sever all ties with my former duties and pledge my undying loyalty and servitude to this Gandalfr from another world."

A bright flash of light erupted from her and she turned into a bright blue pendant, floating in the air.

Accelerator grabbed the pendant and slipped it over his head. A pleasant coldness flowed through his body as the immaculate gem touched his skin. White light exploded from his other hand and inscribed the runes of divine contract upon it. He quickly channeled the excess magic that flowed from the contract into Derflinger. The sword moaned in pleasure as he greedily gulped it down.

"Partner... do you realize what you've done?" The sword asked in awe. "Bloody hell, that was amazing?"

Accelerator raised an eyebrow at the sword. "I take it people here usually bind spirits to become their slaves?"

"Hell no! You've got to be an existence far more superior than it for it to even consider you as an equal, much less a master. You never cease to surprise me partner. Just what the hell are you?"

Accelerator ignored the question and addressed his newly acquired slave. "Lower the waters on this village."

"As you wish, my lord."

===Break===

Accelerator sat on the edge of Louise's bed, pondering deeply. The midget was fast asleep, having been exhausted by the day's events. She had lashed out at Montmorency after taking the antidote, almost killing her with explosions. After the incident, it had been hard for her to look a certain maid in the eye.

_Vivian. _

Accelerator addressed the water spirit mentally, having discovered he could talk to it telepathically using the runes in his hand. He was surprised that magic does not seem to damage his body anymore after acquiring the spirit. All ailments and injuries seem to heal at a drastic speed as well.

_Yes, master?_

_You said something about a thief that stole your treasure?_

_Yes... the Ring of Andvari which has been in our custody for centuries have been stolen recently. We were trying to flood the world to increase our domain and after the world have been submerged, the treasure will once again be in our hands._

_What exactly is this treasure?_

_It has the ability to summon artificial souls. We know for sure a man named Cromwell was one of the perpetrators._

_The hell? It can bring back the dead?_

_No, master. It is a tool of evil that can reanimate corpses by providing an artificial soul._

_Damn..._

_We hope to secure it with your help._

_You do realize you're not in any position to be making demands now._

_We trust in your judgment as the Gandalfr has proven a trustworthy ally in the past. We believe that in time, you wll not disappoint us._

_Keep dreaming._

_Our sense of time is different from humans. A century only feels like a minute to us. We can wait forever._

_Then why the hell did you choose to become a slave to a human? _

_It is your fate to surpass humans and even all diving beings. I felt it is advantageous to associate with you while you develop your powers._

_Surpass divine beings... you mean a god? _

**Crash!**

Accelerator snapped out of his conversation and turned to the intruder who flew in from the window. He relaxed as he saw her face.

The midget rubbed her eyes adorably, yawning from her incomplete slumber. She quickly noticed the intruder and fell off the bed.

"Y—your majesty! W—what brings you here at this hour? I—I'm sorry we are unprepared to receive you..."

"It's fine Louise Francoise. I don't intend to stay or long. I only came here to ask for a favor and I shall be on my way."

"You're really shameless aren't you?" Accelerator smirked at the princess.

"And I see you are as rude as ever Mr. Familiar."

"I—I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive my incompetence on the discipline of my own familiar." Louise bowed her head in shame.

Derflinger took this opportunity to recite the princess parameters rather loudly.

"Age: 17

Beauty ranking: B+

Bust: 84, Waist: 59, Hips: 85

Status: Engaged

Warning: Current love interest in conflict with engaged partner

Hobbies: cosplay

Skills: Dancing with a specialty in pole dancing

Fun fact: GENUINE VIRGIN."

"This one is quite the catch partner! You shou—"

Accelerator slammed the sword back into its sheath but the damage has been done.

The princess was gaping at him in shock. "I was dishonorably rejected during our first meeting... and sexually harassed the second time... Mr. Familiar... do you have a grudge against me?"

"We—we're sorry your highness!" Louise got on her knees and bowed down, her head touching the ground. She glared at Accelerator, urging him to do the same.

"I don't but it's quite annoying how you just show up at your own leisure and expect us to follow your orders. Why don't you just—"

"—hurry up and strip already!" The sword finished for him.

Henrietta fainted.

===Break===

Cromwell smiled, pleased at what his creation has become. The report that came a few days ago from his spy in Tristain's Academy of Magic gave him information about a certain powerful familiar a young girl has summoned. It was quite alarming to find such a powerful being have been summoned in Tristain. Luckily he has the Ring of Andvari on his side. It was quite the trouble stealing it from Lagdorian Lake.

The creature before him whined in pain. He let it convert some of his life force into magic and used it on the creature before him.

The creature screamed once again as the ring ripped off part of its soul. Cromwell's face broke into a sadistic grin. He motioned to one of his puppets and it went to the dungeons, bringing back with it a blindfolded woman. The woman's brown hair was stained with blood and her thin figure spoke of starvation. The dead puppet brought her to Cromwell, who sat her down in front of the creature. He took off her blinded and let her gaze upon the creature.

"Kyaaaa!" Her screams echoed in the dark halls, magnifying in intensity as time passed.

"What do you think? I don't know how this happened but don't you think your daughter looks so much cuter this way? Oh, how it brings tears to my eyes at this family reunion."

The woman's eye bulged out in terror. The sweet daughter she had brought into this world is barely recognizable. The darkness that flowed out of her confirmed that her little girl was gone, consumed by the evil that now uses her body as a container to exist in this world.

"Hic... oh... my daughter... Katie..." The woman hugged her daughter, sobbing loudly. "I'm sorry...please... forgive me..."

Cromwell laughed, enjoying the scene. "Oh... the irony. I was quite skeptical when your daughter offered to serve me in exchange for your village's freedom. I never thought she would be this useful. Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. I will keep my promise and end your suffering."

He directed the ring on the creature and commanded. "Feed."

Blood splattered on the walls as Katie tore apart her mother.

Cromwell's laugh at the screams and tears of both the creature and its mother echoed through the dark halls.

===Break===

A/N:

Set a new record for myself! Whew, 7.5k of words doesn't seem much but it is quite tiring.

As always, please tell me what you think. If many of you still find this replacement for chapter 7 unsatisfactory, I will rewrite it (hopefully I wouldn't have to .).

Until next time,

UglyFingers


	9. Are you stalking me?

A/N:

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I've been busy with other things and school doesn't help either.

Chapter 8: "Are you stalking me?"

It was well into midnight when Henrietta woke up on Louise's bed. The midget's worried face made her glad she has a friend to rely on in times of need. The familiar was missing, no doubt spending the night on the rooftop like he usually does.

"Princess? Are you okay?"

"I—I'm fine, Louise Francoise." Henrietta rubbed her head, feeling the spot where a bump was beginning to form. She vaguely remembered fainting after the rude familiar told her to take her clothes off.

"I'm sorry my familiar has been so rude to you, your majesty! I'll make sure to punish him for this later..."

Henrietta sat up, realizing that the royal palace must be in an uproar. They must have noticed her disappearance by now.

"Louise Francoise, I know this is sudden but, I have an urgent request to make of you and your familiar in secret."

"Ask of us anything your majesty."

"You see, I have decided to marry into a family in Germania—."

"What did you say?! Of all things, to the country of those savage nobles?"

"It can't be helped. To protect our small country of Tristain, we have to form a strong alliance with Germania." A sad smile graced her lips, a smile to bid goodbye to her happiness and freedom.

"Even for our country, to face such hardship is just wrong. A woman must never be deprived of her right to choose her love."

The princess only shook her head. "I am the Princess of Tristain before I am a woman. I don't mind sacrificing myself for my country."

"But that's—"

"Please listen. There is one thing I would like to do before all that."

"If there is anything I can do to help, please tell me and I would gladly do it!"

"Thank you, Louise Francoise." She sighed in relief. "There is a certain item I would like you to retrieve."

"An item?"

"Yes. A letter that I sent to Prince Wales of Albion."

"Albion?"

"If anyone were to find out about that letter, the marriage will be called off."

"Princess..."

"Albion is very politically unstable at the moment and is in a dangerous situation right now. This is why I would like to borrow your and your familiar's strength for this mission. The nobles have started a coup d'etat. And the royal family is about to fall from power... I'm sorry for asking a close friend to do such a thing. But Louise, you're the only one I can ask for such a thing." Henrietta's voice broke, her throat parching up as her tears fell.

Louise gave the princess a hug, cradling her head into her flat chest. The princess broke down into tears, all her composure gone as her feelings burst open. The two girls held each other close, taking comfort in each other's presence.

After a good half hour of crying, the princess wiped her tears, hiccupping as she did so.

"I'm sorry you had to.. hic... witness such a display of weakness."

"Please think nothing of it, princess. I would be a terrible friend if I were to ignore you when you need me the most."

Henrietta looked as if she was about to break down into tears of joy, grateful she has a friend who can sympathize with her.

"Thank you, princess. For telling me your honest feelings and to request from me such an important mission. I could not be happier."

Henrietta beamed and gave Louise another hug.

"Louise... Then will you go for me?"

"Absolutely, your majesty. Anything for you." Louise felt more confident than usual. Although she knows her magic is unstable, she has a familiar that has proven himself to be reliable. Even though he has an abrasive attitude, she knew he was a good person deep inside.

===Break===

The cool night air did nothing to relieve Accelerator's annoyance as he laid on his back, watching the two moons that lit up the night sky. He had been listening in on the midget and the princess's conversation as they bawled their eyes out.

_Why are you avoiding the child, master? I noticed you distancing yourself from her, limiting your contact unless absolutely necessary... _The water spirit's cool, whispery voice floated in his mind, further adding to his bad mood

_What's it to you? _He snarled at it angrily.

_It is unsettling_.

_It has been three months since I came here and I noticed I've been changing. If there is one way to put it, I say I'm starting to get soft._

_And is that such a bad thing?_

_I feel like I'm going insane. In the beginning, all I'm constantly thinking about was to get back to Academy City to kill Kihara and save Last Order but now I'm starting to feel like I should stay in this shitty excuse for a world. Goddamit! I'm even starting to get attached to that midget!_

_Resisting the change will only cause you pain and misery. Wasn't it also one of your goals to become a better person when you first came to this world? It's perfectly fine to have fun._

_Tch. That's disturbing._

_What did you think of the princess and your master's conversation just now?_

_They're idiots._

_How so?_

_If it was me, I'd invade the other countries. That way, all threats will be eliminated._

_Not everyone is strong like you are. Humans, being the weak creatures that they are, always form collective groups in order to boost up their safety. Political marriages are part of this system. It's not their fault they're weak._

_Tch, not my problem._

_Oh, but it is. If you were to lose Louise, you would have no right to exist in this world. Unlike in a normal summoning, a contract was formed between the three of you. Violating its terms would render the contract void and your only chance of redemption will disappear along with it._

_The three of us?_

_The contract between you, Louise, and the Boss of Hell. By becoming the familiar of Louise, you have been granted temporary protection from your fate. Your destiny has been entwined with hers and only death shall separate you. The Boss of Hell recognized this and that's why it hasn't sent out its minions to try and recover your soul. However, if either one of you dies, the other's fate shall be sealed, mirroring the other's. In short, if you have not attained redemption by the time you or Louise dies, both your souls will go to hell._

Accelerator gritted his teeth. _Is that why I'm changing?_

_That is partly due to the contract, yes. It's trying to help you out by molding your character into something more compatible with Louise._

Anger washed through Accelerator in smothering waves. He had been manipulated all his life and just when he thought he was finally free, this is what he gets? Another situation where all he could do was play along like some puppet to do the bidding of a flat chested midget?

_You owe Louise. She's the reason you even get this chance to set things right in the first place. She holds great potential that if honed properly, could grow powerful enough to bridge two worlds._

Accelerator thought long and hard, weighing the advantages and disadvantages. If he were to allow himself to go through this, who was to say he wouldn't be the same person in the end? Would he change so much that he wouldn't even be able to lift a finger to harm others? Would he get so soft that he would actually give love a try? He snorted at that. He didn't believe such a thing existed, having never felt the emotion, himself. But with such things as magic involved, anything could happen. Allowing himself to get caught up in the machinations of fate might produce catastrophic results.

On the other hand, this is his last chance to live and die without regrets. If he wasted this opportunity, he knew he'd regret it bitterly in the chambers of eternal damnation.

_I get it, I get it. I just have to protect the midget, right? But let me tell you now, if you think I'll just sit by and let myself turn into a wimp, then you got another thing coming._

===Break===

"Oi, oi. Who the hell told you I'm going?" Accelerator demanded, giving the pink haired midget his most evil glare.

Louise flinched and backed off a step instinctively before regaining her composure and glaring back at her familiar. Red splotches dotted her cheeks as she blushed in anger.

"You're my familiar so it's only proper for you to accompany your master on her mission!" She huffed indignantly. "And besides, I already promised the princess I'd do it."

"That's your problem. Whether I choose to help you or not is up to me and if you think you can treat me like I'm your property, I'd make sure you learn your place… painfully."

Louise suppressed a shiver and stood her ground. Accelerator's killing intent hung heavy in the air, weighing down on Louise like a heavy, suffocating mantle. It was all she could do to stay on her feet but she still held her head up high in defiance, the pride of a Valliere gleaming in her eyes.

_Well at least she's got some balls…_

"You are my familiar and you shall do as I s—!"

Louise's eyes widened in fear as thin, pale fingers clamped her mouth shut, the nails digging painfully into her cheeks. Cold fury twisted her familiar's features, his mouth set in a vicious snarl.

"Get out of my sight." He hissed into her ear, sending shivers down her spine as she crumpled onto the floor, her doll-like figure shaking. She struggled to her feet and broke into a run, blinking back her tears.

"That was quite harsh of you, Mr. Familiar."

Accelerator forced himself not to jump at the sudden voice. _How the hell does she do that?_

"I heard there was a law that eavesdroppers lose their ears."

The maid giggled. "That was repealed a decade ago. Too many nobles lost their ears because of it."

He eyed her warily. "What do you want?"

"Oh I was planning on going back to Tarbes to visit my family and was wondering if you would like to come along."

"Don't waste your breath." Accelerator said, walking away.

There was work to be done.

===Break===

Louise jumped into her bed as soon as she slammed the door shut behind her. She immediately buried her face in her pillow, moaning pitifully as she soaked it in her tears.

_He's scary…*sobs* how can he be so cold… and cruel…? What an ungrateful familiar! I was a fool for thinking he'd understand… Just you watch! I don't need you anyway! I'll complete this mission myself!_

===Break===

The dew still lingered on the leaves when Louise started out the next day. She was wearing a heavy cloak with a hood that hid her face and on her ring finger was the Ruby of Water, the item that would identify her to the Prince Wales of Albion.

"You look awful. Didn't get much sleep?" Agnes asked, pulling her own horse behind her.

"It's nothing."

Agnes gave her a suspicious look before mounting her horse and waited for Louise to do the same. Henrietta had told her to guide Louise on her journey to Albion. She didn't like the midget much but her familiar was worth her interest. She had seen many men in her life but his enigmatic figure excited her like no other. She couldn't wait to cross swords with him.

Louise idled for a few more minutes, hoping by some miracle that her familiar would come rushing down to go with her or at least see her off on her journey. When he didn't appear after ten minutes, she sighed in resignation and went off with a heavy heart.

Up on his perch in the school's spire, the lone, white haired figure took a vicious bite from the blood red apple in his hands, loudly crunching the fruit in between his teeth.

_The hell is this pain? It's like my heart's being ripped out!_

_It's a compulsion effect. It will only intensify the longer you're not around her._

Accelerator clutched his chest and gasped for air. The pain was nothing he couldn't handle. He had experienced worse in his life but this one was particularly annoying. It dulled his senses, slowing his reaction time, and worse, decreasing his calculation ability. He sat still and took deep breaths, forcing his neural network to ignore any signals of pain coming from his chest. After he had subdued the pain, he pulled on a black cloak and jumped off the spire, shooting off into the forest, opposite of where Louise went to.

===Break===

Guiche rubbed his eyes as he yawned himself into wakefulness. Nothing seemed to be going right recently but looking at the peaceful sleeping face of Montmorency every morning seemed to wash away his worries. He lightly kissed her on the cheek, lips barely brushing past his favorite freckle. She muttered in her sleep but didn't wake.

Smiling slightly, he shed his night clothes and dressed, admiring his features on the mirror. He had no doubt that it would be another boring but joyous day.

**Knock. Knock. Knock.**

"Mr. Gramont, may I please come in?"

Without waiting for a response, his door slammed open, revealing the dark haired maid. Her smile didn't reach her eyes as her gaze swept the room, settling on the sleeping blonde in his bed.

A faint sneer touched her lips. "I have a job for you."

===Break===

"All buildings here in La Rochelle were made out of a single boulder by a bunch of square class earth mages." Agnes explained, pointing at the holes in the side of a mountain where people were coming in and out of. "Just about the only useful thing that the nobles actually did." She spat.

Louise nodded distractedly, a lost expression on her face. Agnes spun her to face her, giving her a stern look.

"Enough." She said in an icy tone. "I won't have you compromising the success of this mission. If there's something bothering you, spit it out. Where's your familiar anyway? You should have brought him along. You never know what could happen so it's better to have more strong allies on your side."

"Who cares about that dog?!" Louise screeched. "I can complete this mission myself!"

"Arrogance will lead you to your death." Agnes admonished. She stalked off cursing the stupidity of nobles.

Mixed emotions welled up within Louise. Underneath the strong façade, she was every bit worried and frightened. Unlike the other life threatening ordeals she faced so far, she was on her own. There was no familiar to crush down all threats with a brutal fist.

She angrily pushed off all these thoughts. There was nothing she could do about these worries at the moment. She had learned long ago that thinking about matters you can't do anything about is just a waste of time. You just had bear with it and trudge forward.

A small smile touched her lips. _Now how should I punish the ungrateful dog when I get back?_

===Break===

The prisoner stared at the glum, gray walls of her cell in boredom. While it was true that prison was the safest place for her to be at the moment, it did little to reassure her that her former employer wouldn't seek her out in this place. The man doesn't tolerate failure and she was lucky enough to have escaped with her life. If she had resisted the arrest and crawled back to him with nothing, she would no doubt be ripped to pieces by now. She suppressed a shudder. Those walking pieces of blasphemy were scarily vicious. While most retain sanity after the reanimation of the corpse, there were some that were overwhelmed by their animalistic instincts. Cromwell enjoyed setting these ones loose on those who defied him, often making a showy display to others. Letting the opposition see their family members being eaten alive in front of them had quite a powerful effect.

Fouquet knew the man had his sights on the orphanage that her friend managed back in Westwood Village. His beasts preferred young, tender meat. Where else would be a better place to obtain such things than an orphanage?

A fire lit up within her. She had to get out of this place. Now that she's failed, Cromwell would no doubt be preparing to attack her home. There was no time to be wasting away in prison. No matter how scared she was of Cromwell, she had a duty to her friend. She had to protect her, or at least hide her from the evil, evil bastard.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the clicks of a key opening her cell. She squinted against the bright light of the lamp that the figure was holding. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw that it was a boy, one of Tristain Academy's many students. _What's someone like him doing here?_

The boy flicked his blonde hair and gave her a charming smile.

"The maid has a job for you."

===Break===

Accelerator felt the midget's anxiety through the link. It looked like she's safe for now. Since she's with the captain of the Musketeer Corps, he felt she would be safer there than with him. After all, she was only going into a foreign country in civil war. It was nothing big. On the other hand, he was about to raid the lair of the undead.

"Hey partner. Do you mind if I ask why you were so cold to the flat chest this morning? The way she ran off crying almost makes me feel bad for her, you know."

Accelerator kept his stoic expression and said nothing.

He had trudged on for nearly an hour, following the water spirit's directions. She had pointed to the northeast, following the dirty trail of dark magic left behind by the spirit that escaped from Wardes. If his hunch was right, the trail would lead to the base where the same sorts of creatures were kept.

He trekked for another hour before finding a cave to rest in. The sun was already setting by then and exploring the village would have to wait until the next day. No matter how strong he was, he wouldn't make the same mistake of underestimating his opponent twice. He had learned the hard way the even the weakest looking spiky haired idiot can be full of surprises. As such, he didn't want to go against undying monstrosities without the light of day. Superstitions about how dark creatures gain power at night were pretty famous among the gossipers in Academy City. He thought they were just a bunch of bullshit back then but now that the impossible had happened to him, he just didn't want to take that risk.

The cave stretched on for many meters, its dark depths as inviting as a giant's maw. Accelerator headed in, curious as to how far the cave stretched. He lit up a dead branch to use as a torch, passing its flames over the walls. Random doodles and scribbles he didn't understand littered the damp surface. People must have used this place as a hiding place before, meaning he wasn't the only one to know about the place. He would have to finish his job quick before anyone was to find him.

A metal door stood at the end of the cave. Rust covered its hinges, making it grate against itself as Accelerator forced it open. In the large cavernous room beyond it was the literally the biggest surprise he's ever had since arriving in Halkeginia. He walked up to it, running hid hand along its gray metal side. He had seen this particular model before but only in pictures. They became obsolete very fast as the rest of the world was caught up in the technology race and tried to improve their flying machines. Academy City had set a standard for the ultimate fighter plane to ever rip against the skies and the rest of the world powers tried to create a match for it, only to fail horribly.

"Fascinating isn't it?" The familiar voice came out of nowhere, making him jump. He narrowed his eyes, making out the silhouette of the maid (now wearing casual farm clothes) emerging from the darkness. Her smiling face looked very out of place in the dimly lit cavern. "My great grandfather called it the dragon's raiment. My grandfather used to tell us stories of how one could use it to fly. The other villagers treated him as a senile old fool of course. Though sometimes I wonder if he really was as crazy as they say. What do you think, Mr. Familiar?"

"Are you stalking me?" He growled.

Siesta chuckled. "While I do find you to be good looking, I do not have the time to be pursuing such interests. Now let me ask you, are _you_ stalking me?"

Accelerator snorted. "Like hell."

"But I told you I was going home to Tarbes and here you are. If you wanted to come along, you didn't have to be so shy about it, you know."

Accelerator mentally face palmed.

_Vivian._

_Yes master?_

_Where are we?_

_We are in the outskirts of the village of Tarbes._

_Why didn't you tell me our location? Dammit! How're we going to move around with this one stuck on our ass? If her village is the lair of those monsters I'm sure she won't just let us burn it to the ground._

_You never asked._

Accelerator bit back a retort and eyed the plane with a more critical eye. It was outdated and obsolete, yes, but back when it was the most dominant air superiority fighter of its time. In a world where houses don't even have a plumbing system, the plane was probably the most advanced thing in existence.

"How did this get here?"

Siesta thought for a moment, trying to decide the best way to explain. "I don't know the details but my grandpa told me his father was on a mission in a foreign country when he had an accident. He said his dad was a…piton? Or was it pildon?" She cupped her chin in thought.

"It's pilot." Accelerator sighed. He's not making any progress here. The plane was an enigma but was not a pressing matter at the moment. Still, the fighter plane held untold potential. Having access to such an old, yet overkill weapon might prove advantageous in the future. He followed Siesta out of the cavern through another set of gigantic metal doors large enough for the plane to go through.

"An F-22 Raptor huh. Tch. I guess it's better than nothing."

===Break===

"Everyone went off on an adventure and I didn't get invited! How mean!" The red head whined, her chest bouncing slightly as crossed her arms and pouted.

Mr. Colbert sighed and paused from waxing his bald pate. Its signature shine was almost dazzling even in the candle lit room.

"Ms. Zerbst, while I did say I was always available to talk to anytime a student has a problem, would you please refrain from coming to my office for every little thing?"

"Shiny." The blue haired midget looked up briefly from her book to comment before resuming.

"Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Tabitha." Colbert said dryly, patting his head in front of the mirror.

"Come on Tabitha, we shouldn't be the only ones left out! We should go on an adventure too!" Kirche pleaded, wrapping her arms around the midget's shoulders from behind. Tabitha kept reading, seemingly oblivious to the red head's attempts at crushing her melons against her back.

"Ah right, you won't move unless I give a logical explanation right? Hmmm… I know! We should go follow Louise. It is worrying that she went off somewhere without her familiar and you know how she always have a knack for getting in trouble, right? We should be there in case something happens!"

Tabitha nodded once and closed her book. She opened the window and whistled. A moment later, the majestic form of her dragon appeared, warbling out a tune as it approached.

"Bye, my beloved!" Kirche waved to the bald man as she got on the dragon, just behind Tabitha.

"Ms. Zerbst, can't this wait until the morning? It's dangerous to fly around at night, not to mention you didn't prepare anything at all for your journey."

Kirche rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine. If my hunch is right, Zero is getting herself caught up in something dangerous again. We can't afford to waste any time."

Colbert snorted. "That's just an excuse."

Kirche smiled. "Ah you know me too well, my beloved." She laughed and with a wave, the dragon was off, heading towards the distant horizon.

Colbert rubbed his head. So many complications were popping up and compromising the success of the plan. He just hoped Siesta accomplished her mission properly. While it left a bitter taste in his mouth to keep relying on the maid, he knew she was the only one capable enough to employ. Still, with the world's fate at stake, a man's go to do what a man's got to do.

===Break===

_Louise was in a city of lights. The bright luminance of the streets was completely alien to her and the feel of the city itself was disconcerting. A voice in the sky announced the weather, making her jump. She looked around and found her familiar sitting on top of a particularly tall building, gazing at the people below she reached out to him and found herself floating in his direction, reaching him slowly. He had a scary look on his face. She knew that look, having seen it many times herself._

_It was of a predator stalking a prey. _

_She followed his gaze and landed her sights on a girl with short, brown hair walking alongside a young man with spiky, black hair. The two seemed to be conversing but she couldn't make out the words. The young man was carrying a black kitten in his arms. He tossed the kitten to the girl before he went into a… store?_

_Suddenly, her familiar jumped down, rushing through the fall at an inhuman speed before landing lightly on his feet. He approached the girl from behind with a sadistic smile on his face. The girl noticed his presence and set the cat down gently onto the ground before looking back at him with a stoic expression. Her eyes expressed no emotion, bearing a resemblance to those of a dead fish's. She dashed off into a deserted alley, putting on her goggles at the same time she pulled out a rifle hidden inside a trash bin. Without hesitation, she aimed at the pursuing white haired monster and pulled the trigger._

_Loud explosions rang through the air but the bullets completely missed their target. Accelerator appeared directly in front of the girl, laughing manically before delivering a bone crushing kick to her stomach, sending her flying. She hit the opposite wall before sliding down into a crumpled heap on the ground._

_Louise shook with fear for the girl. The brutality of her familiar was known to her but this was on a whole different level. It was unrestrained violence. The girl struggled to get up, only to find herself once again flying from a heavy blow to the ribs. Accelerator looked down on her with a sadistic grin, white teeth flashing dangerously in the last rays of the sun._

"_Now, question. Who comes to mind when they ask who the strongest level 5 in Academy City is?"_

_The girl struggled to get up and broke into a run, clutching her sides while keeping her weapon close to her chest. She took of her shoes without breaking her stride, huffing for air._

"_Why're you running?" Accelerator drawled. "Flashing your ass so joyfully at me like that… you tryin' to lead me on or something?"_

_The girl turned around and opened fire, the bullets hitting Accelerator all over his body. To Louise's horror, the bullets bounced back, peppering the brown haired girl. Blood gushed down her body as she fell to the ground. Accelerator approached her calmly, his ever sadistic grin never leaving his face. _

"_Now question, what am I, the Accelerator, doing exactly?"_

_The girl turned on her back, firing off another shot at his head. The girl barely had time to use the butt of her rifle to block the bullet after it bounced back, turning to her side as she did so. She threw her weapon in desperation, only to have it shatter before hitting Accelerator. She broke off into mad dash for survival, trying to stem the bleeding of her bullet wounds as she did so._

_Louise followed the girl as she turned a corner. Much to her shock, blue lightning seemed to gather at the girl's hand, crackling in the air as it soared to Accelerator. Confused as Louise was, she knew this type of attack wouldn't even faze her familiar. True enough, he just sent it back to the girl. Her screams of pain echoed in the tight walls of the alley but no one seemed to hear. Louise wanted to help the girl. If this went on, she knew the girl will surely lose her life. She looked around desperately, trying to find a way to intervene. To her dismay, her hands went through her familiar, unable to grasp at anything in this world._

"_Reflecting." The girl answered. _

"_Sorry, that's not quite the true nature of my skill. The answer is vector change. Momentum, heat, electric charge… all types of vectors can be changed by mere contact with my skin. I do have it set on reflect as default though." He kneeled down on the girl. "Now, time for the consolation prize question." He stabbed his finger on a bullet hole, causing the girl's face to twist in pain. "I am now touching the flow of blood. If I reversed the direction of the flow, what would happen to the human body?" _

_The girl looked back at him wide eyed terror. "A correct answer will grant you a peaceful slumber." The grin spread wider, sealing the girl's fate._

"No! Don't do it!" _Louise screamed. But it was hopeless. Blood splattered all over the walls and concrete, splashing through Louise as she looked on in terror as realization hit her of what her familiar is._

Louise sat up in her bed, gasping for air. Agnes was lightly snoring on the other bunk, her hand resting on her sword's hilt. Louise thought back to her dream. While she didn't understand most of it, she did realize one thing. Her familiar is a murderer.

===Break===

Agnes tossed the bag of gold into the air, deftly bouncing it on her palm. It was a three hour ride from the mainland to the floating island of Albion. The night before was peaceful enough, though the midget kept talking in her sleep, keeping Agnes awake for most of the night.

The ship ride the next day went by smoothly as well. She had stashed her armor and uniform in a trunk and was wearing casual clothing to blend in to the crowd. Her weapons, however, stay hidden underneath her cloak, ready for battle. Louise spent the time in the ship thinking quietly in her room with her face in her pillow, not that Agnes cared much. She made such a killing, gambling with the other passengers. Since she wasn't getting paid for this side mission, she thought she might as well take advantage of the situation.

She sighed and put the money away, striding over to the window. Albion could be seen in the distance, its tall mountains shrouded in thin, white clouds. The island itself was covered in the early morning mist, giving it an almost mystical feel.

The ship landed and the two of them disembarked, heading to the place that the princess said the prince of Albion would be.

"A church?" Agnes looked at the small, white building skeptically.

Louise led the way, opening the double oak doors with a bit of difficulty. They walked inside, their footsteps echoing loudly in the cold, marble floor.

"There's nobody here." Louise said worriedly. Agnes looked around, taking in all the little details of the church. She felt a bit of foreboding as she realized there was only one exit. If this was a trap, there would only be one way out.

Suddenly, armored guards stepped out from behind the pillars, surrounding the two. Agnes had her rapier in her hand in an instant, shielding Louise behind her. More people in armor filled the room, sealing off all possible ways of escape.

"State your business." Came the curt order from the leader of the group. Louise grabbed the back of Agnes' cloak, hiding herself from the imposing figure.

"I have with me an Ambassador from Tristain, here one special order from her majesty, Princess Henrietta herself. This is Ambassador de la Valliere. We request an audience with the Prince Wales." Louise poked her head out for a brief moment before deciding it was safe and bowing to the man in front of her.

"Messenger from Tristain? You should have come up with a better lie. The princess wouldn't give this location to just anybody." He pointed his sword at Agnes. The captain of the musketeer corps eyes the sword wand with distaste but kept her ground. Louise stepped up in desperation before the situation could turn for the worse.

"It's true! Princess Henrietta sent me on this very important mission to retrieve an item. I have no business with you. Where is the prince?" She flashed the ring on her finger in front of his face.

"That ring is…" The man stepped back and sheathed his sword. He took off his glove and revealed a similar ring. "Come." Louise stepped forward and brought forth her own ring. As soon as the two reached within close proximity, a dazzling rainbow glow burst from the link between them.

"This ring has been passed down the Albion royalty, the Wind Ruby. And that, is the Water Ruby. Water and wind create rainbows; rainbows placed over royalty." He took off his helmet revealing blonde hair and blue eyes. Louise gasped. "Y—you're…"

He smiled down at her flabbergasted expression. "Excuse me, Ms. Ambassador. I am the crown prince of Albion, Wales Tudor."

===Break===

Agnes stood guard outside the room while the midget and the prince conversed about their business. Wales had cast a spell of air, preventing any sound from leaving the room. Curious as Agnes was, she knew it was not her place to intrude upon such private matters. The princess and the prince were cousins and had played together when they were young. Their relationship was more than friends, Agnes could tell. The princess wouldn't have sent Louise on this mission otherwise.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal greaves tapping on the stone floor. Two guards were approaching in the distance, their helmeted faces showing no emotion. Agnes had a bad feeling about this whole thing. The guards were giving off a bad vibe and she knew from experience that this meant these men were dangerous. She fingered the hilt of her blade, her body coiled to spring into motion at the slightest bit of a threat.

The two guards reached her and nodded to her in greeting before knocking on the door. When no answer came from within, they nodded to each other and in one swift motion, drew their blades. Before Agnes could draw her own blade, a blindingly fast slash ripped across her front, drawing a thin line of blood from her left shoulder to her right hip. Only her reflexes saved her from instant death.

Agnes didn't waste her breath in asking foolish questions and immediately returned the attack. Her rapier flashed in a mad rush of death. The two guards were big but less skilled than her. However, they made up what they lacked in skill with raw power, pushing her back with vicious strikes. There was no room to maneuver in the narrow hallway and the repeatedly deadly blows wore down on Agnes' stamina. She had to find an opening…and fast.

She ducked under the next two wide swings meant to cut her in half and rolled in between their legs, deftly slashing at the small area in between the armored legs and chopping off the leg. The guard howled in pain and fell to one knee while its partner attacked more furiously than before. Agnes ran as fast as she could, drawing her musket from her back and loading it with a small explosive as she went. The guard was steadily gaining on her despite its heavy armor. When the distance between them closed to only a meter, Agnes jumped, soaring above the guard's head and aiming the musket point blank at the back of his neck.

**Bang!**

The loud explosion echoed in the dark corridor, reverberating through the walls. The guard fell forward, missing its head. Spurts of blood gushed out like a waterfall from the gaping neck. Agnes quickly went over to the other guard and decapitated it also as it swung its large sword at her.

She flicked the blood off her blade and went back to the door. Despite the noise of battle, there was still no response from within. She cursed the stupidity of the prince. Making sure no one can eavesdrop is fine and all but it's downright foolish to lock yourself in a room without any idea of what's going on outside. She knocked on the door with more urgency but to no avail. More guards would be coming soon and if her hunch was right, they would be tougher than these.

There was a sudden rush of air and Agnes quickly ducked, barely saving herself from losing her head. Black mist was oozing out of the decapitated guards, covering their armored bodies in a veil of darkness. They popped their head back on and with a roar, charged at her with the fury of a storm.

"What the hell are you?!" Agnes couldn't help but screech at undead bodies determined to dismember her with renewed vigor. Their attacks were faster than before, the large blades hummed in the air as they cut through the air at incredible speeds. It was all Agnes could do to defend herself, much less return the attack. She twisted her body to avoid simultaneous strikes to her neck and waist, thrusting with her rapier as she did so. The strong, thin blade pierced through the armor and stabbed the heart, stunning the guard for one second before it grabbed her arm and effortlessly tossed her against the wall. Without breaking its grip, Agnes was swung back and forth from one wall to the other like a doll. The loud cracking of bones echoed in the hallway. Blood spilled from a cut in her head, dyeing her blonde hair in crimson and making their way to her eyes. Her vision dimmed as the blood washed her eyes in red, obscuring everything. The guard threw her into a far wall in a large burst of strength. Agnes coughed up blood as her ribs dug into her lungs and stomach, piercing them.

The two guards were instantly on her, their swords raised to end her life.

_Is this how I die? Unable to even be of the slightest service to my country?_

She blinked back the blood in her eyes, focusing her defiant gaze upon her enemies. The large blades glinted in the torch lit hallway and swung down in a merciless arc.

"Enough."

Agnes struggled to sit up but only fell back down in pain. The sound of approaching footsteps filled the air.

"I'll need this one alive." The voice said. "Capture the prince and the descendant of the void at once!"

The guards quickly went to the door as more and more guards filled the hallway, each one mortally injured in one way or another but was somehow still alive. In front were soldiers covered in darkness while in the back were the Prince's guards. A tall man with long blonde hair led the group, the ring on his finger glowing a sickly shade of purple. He approached Agnes and crouched down in front of her. The ring glowed brighter as it neared her face.

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the soldiers breaking down the doors to the prince and the midget's room. Screams filled the air, followed by a deathly silence.

===Break===


End file.
